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THE 



EMPIRE STATE: 



^ (L ompfiiLiious !lnstorn 



COMiWONWEALTH OF NEW YORK. 



By BENSON J. LOSSING. LL.D., 

At'THOR OF 

■PU-torial Field Book of the RefoliUion," " Tlie War of 1S12 " and " TJie CivU War in America: 

" Jfoioi* Veriion ; or, the Home of Washington ;'" "lUustrated History of the I'nitett States r^^ 

" Cyvlopedia of United Stales J{i.<lo>-i/ ; " " Our Cotintri/;" ^^Sislorij tftfie City 

of Xew York;" '^Slory of the United Stales yarij, for Soys ; " 

" JIdry and Martha Washington," etc., etc. 



& 



( DEC 19!887 ^ 

ILLUSTRATED V'^V 32-0 ' "IrC^y 



By ra;-3iml'.53 of 335 Per.-anl-Ir.k rrav.'ings 
By H. ROSA. 



Nkw York: 

FUNK & WAGXALt.S, Publishers, 

18 iiml 20 Astor Place. 

I S87. 



Rntcreil, accordiin; to Act of Coii-^iece, in ihc yeur 1887, 

By FUNK A WAONALLS, 

In the Offlre of the Ubrarian of ConLrrei*** iit WashinKtou. 1>. C. 



PRKBS OF 

FUNK tt WAUNALLS, 

JSiiiiUa) A»lorI*Iiu*.', 

NKW YuRK 



PREFACE. 



Several years ago the aiitlior of this work received a letter from tlie 
late PIoii. Horatio Seymour, urging him to supply a conspicuous literary 
MMut 1)V writing a compendious history of the State of New York, and 
illustrating it after the manner of his Pictorial Fiehl-Booh of the Revo- 
lution. Ko work of the kind was then in existence, nor has there been 
since. 

It lias l)Cen the chief aim of the author, in the pre[)aratii)n of this 
work, to emhody in one volume, of moderate size aiul [)rice, a complete 
outline narrative of the principal events in the career of the (Jommoii- 
wealtii of New York from its inception to the close of the first century 
of our Ilepuhlic (1875), so compact, as a whole, that its purchase and 
perusal will not burden the purses or the leisure of a vast ])ro]iortion of 
our people. 

As much space has been given to notices of historic events outside of 
the State of New York as seemed necessary to continually present the 
Commonwealth to the mind of the reader as a most important part of 
the great Republic of the AVest. 

The volume contains a brief history of the powerful barbarian republic 
found by Europeans within the boundaries of the (present) State of 
New York ; a luirrative of the explorations, emigrations, and settle- 
ments of the Dutch, Swedes, and English in New Netherland ; of the 
Indian wars and desolations ; an aceouiit of the religious, social, and 
political oi'ganizations under Dutch rule ; of the patroon and nuuiurial 
estates planted along the tide-water region of the Hudson Uiver ; of 
the seizure and occupation of the domain by the English ; of the devel- 
opment of democracy at every ])eriod of the English rule, with notices 
of the most interesting events in tiie political, social, and military history 
of the Province a?id Stati? down to the kindling of the old war for 
independeiu-e and to its close ; the organization of the State government 
in 1777; the ever-dominating iiitluence of the State in the national 
councils ; its ]>olitical, social, and military history as an independent 
State ; its part in the drama of the "War of 1812-15 ; its munificent 



jv PKEFAC'E. 

ooiitrihutioiis of men and iiioiiey tliirin^ tlie irreiit stniiri^lo for tlic salva 
tioii of the lifu of tlie IJepuljlic ; tho various changes in its constitntion ; 
notices of the vast industrial operations in tiie State ; its canals and rail- 
ways ; its aj:;ricultnre, niannfuftures, and conuuurce ; its adniirahle popu- 
lar educational system ; its literature, and its marvellous growth in 
population, wealth, and retinenient, with biographical sketches of some 
of the most prominent actors in jjuhlic life, from Stuyvesant to Tildeii. 

Portraiture is made a prominent feature in the graphic illustrations 
of the work, for we all desire to see the lineaments of the faces of those 
whose careers interest us. The Ijook contains the portraits of many of 
the most consj)iciU)us men of New "\ ork moiitiuni;(l in its colonial and 
State annals, with a lirief l)iograp]iy of each. .Vmong them may be 
found the portraits and biographical sketches of ail the governors of the 
State, from Creorge Clinton, its first chief maijistratc in 1777, until ls7*^ 
Also ])i(rtures of ntunerous buildings in the State wiiich have been made 
faiiKiiis ])y some historical association. .\ greater portion of these build- 
ings have been made from drawings l)y the author from the objects 
themselves. It also contains a delineation of the seal of every county 
in the State. The illustrations have been made under the personal 
guidance of the author, whose special care was to insure accuracy in 
form, feature, and costume. 

I!i:.\s().\ J. I.ossiNG. 

TuK IkiiH;!;, DovKi; Plains, X. Y., October, 1SS7. 



CONTENTS. 



CirAPTEU I. 

What constitutes New York " Tlie Empire State." 1. 3; Xiagarr. Falls, 3; The 
Iroquois C'onfeileracj' or League, ij-lO ; Henry Hudson and liis exploration and dis- 
coveries, 10-13 ; Claims for Verazzauo, 11 ; Names of the Hudson River, 13. 



CHAPTER n. 

Pate of Henry Hudson: Fruits of his discoveries : Trailic with the Indians opened, 
1-i ; Planting the .seed of empire ; First ve.ssel built on Jtanhattan Island ; Fort Nassau, 
on the Upper Hudson ; Adriaen Block, a Dutch navigator. 15 ; A trading company 
formed, l(i. IT : Champlain and the Irocjuois, 18 ; The Dutch make a treaty with the 
Indians at Tawasentlia, 19 ; Social condition of Holland. 20, 21 ; English Puritans pro- 
pose to go to New Netherland, 21, 23 ; Dutch West India Company formed, 22, 23 ; 
An English mariner at Manliattan, 33 ; The Pilgrims at Cape Cod ; The Dutch prepare 
to plant a colony, 24 ; Walloons emigrate to New Netherland, 25 ; A French vessel at 
^lanhattan, 26 ; Dutch settlements in New Netherland, 30. 37 ; Peter Miuuit director- 
general : Purchase of Manhattan Island. 37 ; New Netherland created a province, 28. 

CHAPTER III. 

Fort Amsterdam and a trading-house built ; The beginning of the city of New York ; 
Rol)bery and murder of an Indian, 29 ; Trouble with the Mohawks and its effects ; 
Capture of the Spanish "silver fleet" by the Dutch, 30; Charter of Privileges and 
Exemption, the patroon system, 31 ; Early patroons ; The Van Rensselaer Manor, 32 ; 
David Pieter,sen de Vries founds a colony on Delaware Bay, 33 ; Governor Walter 
van Twiller and his administration. 33, 34 ; First clergyman and schoolmaster in New 
Netherland ; The first English ship in the Hudson River, 34 ; Van Twiller's absurd 
conduct, 35, 36 ; The Dutch and EnglLsh in the valley of the Connecticut, 35, 38 ; Van 
Twiller recalled, 38 ; William Kieft (}ovcrnor of New Netherland. 39 ; Condition of 
public affairs, 40: Swedes on the Delaware, 41 ; Trouble with Eastern neighbors and 
the Indians, 42 : Impending war with the Indians, 43. 

CHAPTER IV. 

A new charter for patroons and other landed proprietors ; Colonic of Rensselaer- 
wyck : Arendt van Curler, commissary, 44 : Power exercised by Patroon van Rens.selaer, 
45 ; First clergyman and church at Albany ; A Jesuit missionary and his career among 
the Mohawks : First germ of re|iresentative government in New Netherland. 46, 47 ; 
Committee of Twelve, 47: Destruction of Indians who .sought the hospitality of the 
Dutch. 4S : A tierce war kindled, and its consequences, 49. 50 : The Council of Eight 
Men. 49, and their mcnioiial to the States-General, .50, 51 ; Condition of the Dutch West 



VI CONTENTS. 

India Conipiiny, ■">! ; New Sweden, '>'i ; Trcaly of peace with the Indians ; Dominie Bo- 
giirdus's boldness, .'i^ ; Departure of Kieft ; Change in the mode of government ; Peter 
Stuyvesjint appointed governor, ')li ; Arrival of Stnyvesiint and his reeel)tion, .">4 ; .Stuy- 
vesanl's adndnislration, 55, .'iO ; Tlie Committee of Nine. 56 ; OvertiU'es of frieiidsliip 
with I lie ■' i'llgrims" in the Eiist, 5li. 57 ; I>iiteh embassy to New Plymouth, 57. 

(II AFTER V. 

Confei-ence of Duteli and English at Hartford and its results, 5S ; Affairs between the 
Dutch and the Swedes on the Delaware; Improvements at the Duteh capital, 59; 
Brandt van Slechtenliorst. commissary of Uensselaerwyck, defies Stuyvesiint, 00 ; 
Stuyvesant and the Council of Nine, 01 ; Statement of the Nine to the States-General ; 
New Amsterdam organizeil a.s a city, 03 ; Stuyvesant summoned to Amsterdam, 03 ; 
The Dutch and New Euglanders fraternize ; Republicanism nourished ; A represent- 
ative as.sembly and the governor, 64 ; A convention remonstnitcs against his rule, 
65 ; Interview between Stuyvesant and Beeckman and the convention ; Doings of the 
Swedes on the Delaware, 00; Concpiest of New Sweden, 07; New Amsterdam invaded 
l)y Indians. 07, 08; Estates ravaged; Trouble with Indi;ins at Esopus ; Dutch mission 
to Maryland, 08 ; New Amsterdam and Harlem, 09 ; Social life on .Manhattan, 70. 

ClIAPTKH VI. 

State tricks ; Stuyvesant and the CJuakers, 71 ; Colony of Jleunonites, 71, 72 ; New 
Amstel founded, 72 ; Trouble with Indians at Esopus, 73, 73 ; Sece-ssiou and revolution 
on Long Island, 73 ; A General Provincial A.s.semblj' ; Seizure of New Netherland by 
the English contemplated, 74 ; A British force before New Amstenlam. 75 ; Rebellion 
in the city threatened, 70, 77 ; Surrender of New Amsterdam to the English : The 
province and city named New York, 78 ; The Dutch rule in New Netherland, 79 ; 
Social life at New Amsterdam, 80, 81 ; Character of the Dutch. 81, 82 ; Stuyvesant and 
the Duteh West India Company, 82. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Provincial governincnt for New York organized ; Public worship at New York, 84 ; 
English rule at New York, 85-87 ; Duke"s laws, 85 ; Municipal government for the 
city, 85, 80 ; New Jersey granted to royal favorites, 86 ; The Dutch retake New York, 
88, 89 ; Restored to the British crown by treaty, 90 ; The Jesuits among the Iroquois, 
90 ; French intrigues with the Iroquois unsuccessful, 91 ; Characters of Governor 
Andros and the ])uke of York, 93 ; Administration of Andros ; King Philip's War, 93 ; 
An important ro3'al marriage ; AiTairs in New Jersey, 94 ; A claim to Staten Island, 95. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

First |)opnlar government for New York, 96, 97 ; Charter of Liberties and Privileges, 
97; Politi<al divisions of New York, 97, 98 ; Dongan's administration, 99, 100 ; De-signs 
of the French against the Five Nations of the Iroquois, 100 ; Perfidy of King James ; 
Dongan's patriotism, 101, 102 ; De Nonville's e.\i>edition, 102, 103 ; " Dominion of New 
Kngl.uid ;" Birth of an heir to the British throne, 103; Revolution in England. 104; 
EfTect of the revolution in N<^w York, 105 ; Leisler's administration of affairs, 100-112 ; 
AiTairs at Albany, 108 ; Conspiracy against the life of Leisler siucessful, 112 : Remorse 
and death of Governor Sloughter. 1 13, 



CONTKNTS. 



CHAl'TEU IX. 



Invasion of New York liy Frciuli and Indians; Destruction of Schenectady, 114; 
Provincial expeditions against the Frencli in Canada, 115 ; Failure of tliese expeditions. 
116 ; ArriviU and cliaraeler of Governor Fletcher ; Popular opposition to Fletclier, 117 ; 
Invasion by the French led by Frontenac, 118, 119 ; Fletclier's administration, 119. 130 : 
Appointment and eliaractcr of Governor Bellomont ; Privateering, 121 ; Captain Kidd 
and pirac}-, 132 ; Bellomonl's administration, 133-26 ; Leislerians and Anti-Lcisle- 
rians, 133, 124 ; The French in Canada liostile to tlie Iroquois : Bellomont defends the 
latter, 123, 124 ; Reinterment of Leisler's remains, 124 ; Tlie Assembly change politi- 
cally ; Fletcher's fraudulent land grants, 125, 126 ; Death of Bellomont, 126. 

CHAPTER X. 

Defences against the French strengthened, 128; Leislerians control the government, 
128, 139 ; Contests with Assembly ; Lord Cornbnry governor, 129 ; Nicliola.s 
Bayard and his fate, 130 ; Cornbnry 's character and conduct, 131, 133 ; Queen Anne's 
"War, 132 ; Governor Lovelace, 133 ; Attempt to conquer Canada, 134 ; Peter Schuyler 
takes Indians to England, 135 ; Naval expedition against Quebec, 136 ; Governor Hunter 
and his administration, 13T. 138 ; Emigration of Germans to New York ; The United 
Six Nations, 137; First Negro Plot, 138; Governor Burnet and his administration, 139, 
140 ; Inter-colonial traffic prohibited, 140 ; Governor Montgomery's short administra- 
tion, 141, 143 ; Boundary line between New York and Connecticut settled ; Governor 
Cosby and his character, 142 ; Cosliy's contest with Rip Van Dam, 143 ; Liberty of the 
press struggled for and vindicated, 143-147 ; Zenger's trial, 145-147 ; A popular 
triumph, 147. 

CHAPTER XL 

Social condition of the province of New York, 148, and the city of New York, 149, 
150 ; Aspects of social life at Albany, 151 ; Lieutenant-Governor Clark, 1.53 ; The sec- 
ond Negro Plot, 152, 153 ; A victim of perjur\-, 154 ; Governor Sir George Clinton and 
his administration, 154-59 ; King George's War, 155 ; Surrender of Louisburg and 
Cape Breton to the Engli-sh ; Saratoga desolated by French and Indians, 156 ; Prepa- 
rations to conquer the French dominions in America ; William Johnson and the 
Mohawks, 157 ; Rancorous party strife prevalent ; Political influence of .James de 
Laucey, 1.58 ; Governor Sir Danvers Osborne, suicide of, 1.59 ; De Lancey acting gov- 
ernor of New York ; Governor Sir Charles Hardy ; Frondi Jesuits and their influence, 

160 ; Aggressive movements of tlie French in the West ; Colonial convention at Albany, 

161 ; Hostilities between the French and English begun, 162 ; Conference of governors 
with General Braddock, 163. 

CHAPTER XII. 

Expeditions against the French begun, 164; Gener.al Lyman and General Johnson, 
16.5-167; King Hendrick, 165, 166; A battle near Lake George ; The French defeated 
at Lake George, 166 ; Expedition against Forts Niagara and Frontenac unsuccessful ; 
Great Britain declares war against France, and prepares for the conflict, 167 ; The 
Seven Years' or French and Indian War, 167-184 ; Abercrombie's tardy movements ; 
Br.idstreet's efficiency ; Montcalm's operations, 168 ; Lord Lcnidou's inefficiency illus- 
trated, 169, 170 ; Inv.a.sion of New York by French and Indians. 170 ; Capture of Fort 
William Henry, 171 ; A massacre of English troops; Pitt prime-minister, 173; His 
policy in American affairs: British contiuests, 173; Expediti(m against Tioonderoga, 



viii CONTENTS. 

174 ; Knglisli repulsed, \~ii ; Korl Kidiiliiinc tiikcii ; K.\|K'ililiiiii iigjiiust Fort Duqucsno 
successful, 170, 177. 

('II.VPTEK Mil. 

A liiml strujifjjle for llie iniistcry ; Pitt's work, 178 ; Expeditious agsiinst Quebec, Fort 
Niiii^ani. iind Moiilical, 179; Capture of Fort Niajrara, 179,180; The French driven 
from I,iike Chainplain, 180; Capture of Quebec, 181, 1815; Conquest of Canada. 184; 
France stripped of her possessions in America by treaty .'it Paris, 18.") ; Pontiac's 
conspiracy ; Civil affairs in New York, 186 ; Important social movements in New 
York. 187 ; Institutions for intellectual cultivation foiuulcd ; A sectarian controversy, 
188 ; Dr. CoUlen acting governor ; An arbitrary royal act, 189 ; Disputes about the 
New Hampshire Grants, 189-191. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Accession of George III., 192 ; His great mistake, 19;J ; Governor Monekton, 192. 193 ; 
Governor Moore and the king's prerogative, 193 ; Writs of Assistance and the Stamp 
Act, 194 ; Opposition to the Stamp Act, 194-197 ; " Sons of Liberty," 195 ; Stamp Act 
Congress at New York ; A riot, 196 ; Non-importation league, 197, 198 ; Hepeal of the 
Stamj) Act and its effects, 109 ; Troops .sent to enslave the New Yorkers, 200 ; Oppres- 
sive acts of I'arliamcnt, 201 ; Open rebellion imminent ; The Roston massacre, 203 ; 
Popular committees and iiatriotic movements, 203; Exeilenicnt about tea, 204. 205; 
Boston Tea Parly, 205, 207 ; A general Congress reconinicnded. 207 ; Great meeting in 
'• The Fields." 208 ; Delegates to a General Congress appointed, 209. 

CHAPTEH XV. 

Committees of Correspondence ; First Continental Congress. 210 ; Its proceedings 
and effects, 211, 212 ; The American Association, 211 ; Committee to carry it into 
execution, 212 ; An American episcopate proposed ; The New York As,seinbly, 213 ; 
Doings of the Assembly, 214 ; The people aroused, 215 ; New York Provincial Con- 
gress, 216, 217 ; Committee of One Hundred, 217 ; Capture of Fort Tieonderoga by the 
Americans, 218 ; The functions of Congress considered. 219 ; General Wooster with 
troops near New York ; Reception of Washington and Governor Tryon. 220 ; Political 
complexion of the Provincial Congress, 221 ; Northern Military Dcp.irlment ; Affairs 
on Lake Clianiplain, and the Canadians ; The first Conlinenlal Navy created, 222 ; 
p^lhan Allen and his "Green Mountain Boys;" General Schuyler authorized to invade 
Canada, 233. 

CIl.VPTEH X\I, 

The .Johnson Family, 224; Guy .lolmson and Indian councils, 2'2o, 226; British 
coalition with Indians and Tories ; Invasion of Canada begun, 227-229 ; New Y'orkers 
complained of ; A mission to the Canadians. 228 ; St. Johns and Montreal taken, 229 ; 
Siege of Quebec, 230, 231 ; Schuyler and Sir .John .Johnson, 231 ; Camions removed 
from the Battery at New York, 232 ; Sears's raid on Kivington's i>rinling-house. 233 ; 
General Lee with troops in New York City ; .Siege of Boston. 234 ; Plot to murder 
Washington. 235, 236 ; Washington's I^ife Guard, 235 ; Thomas Paine, in Common 
Senge, advocates political independence, 236 ; Congress and colonial legislators advo- 
cate ind(ti)pndenee, 237 ; Change in the New York Provincial Congress ; A capital plan 
of the British Jlinistry, 238 ; Commis.sioners sent to Canada, 239 ; End of the invasion 
of Canada; Sir .John .Johnson and his parole of honor. 240; Flees to Canada ; I^ady 
.lohnsdn t.ikcn to .Vlbanv, 241. 



CONTEXTS. ix 

CHAPTER XVII. 

A sti-on,2; Brilish armaiucnt appear.s before New York ; Mission of General ami Ad- 
miral Howe, 243 ; Wasliinnton'.s .successful appeal to the people ; Preparations for 
battle, 243 ; Battle of Long; Island. 244, 34.5 ; The famous retreat of the Americans 
from Brooklyn, 245 ; A peace conference : Condition of the American Army, 34G ; The 
Americans on Harlem Heights ; Battle on Harlem Plains ; Conflagration in New York 
City, 347 ; Battle at White Plains, 248 ; The British capture Port Washington, 348, 249 ; 
Prisons and prison-ships, 249 ; The British occupy New York City ; Preparations to 
invade Northern New York, 350 ; Naval operations on Lake Champlain, 3.51, 3.53; 
Creation of a navj', 332 ; Flight of the American Army across New Jersey ; Americans 
victorious at Trenton, 254 ; Battle at Princeton, 255. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Migration of the Provincial Congress ; Convention of representatives of the State 
of New York, 256, 257 ; Framing a State Constitution and its adoption, 357, 358 ; Jay's 
desires concerning the Constitution, 358, 359 ; Character of the Constitution, 359, 3(iO ; 
A Council of Safety appointed, 260 ; A Vigilance Committee appointed ; An Act of 
Attainder, and tlie victim of it, 263 ; State ofBcers chosen, 360-363 ; First meeting of the 
State Legislature. 363 ; Prc|)aration to invade New York, 363 ; Burgoync',s campaign, 
264-382 ; JIarauding expeditions ; Baron dc Riedcsel, 364 ; Indians feasted ; Ticonde- 
roga ; Bnrgoyne's proclamation, 365 ; Fort Ticonderoga captured, 266 ; Battle of 
Ilubbardton ; Tlie British forces push toward the Hud.son River, 367 ; Schuyler's proc- 
lamation ; The Jane McCrea tragedy, 368 ; British expedition to Bennington ; Burgoyne'.s 
perilous position. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

St. Leger's invasion ; Fort Schuyler, 370 ; Battle at Oriskany, 371 ; Siege of Fort 
Schuyler, 272 ; Fort Schuyler relieved, 373 ; Bnrgoyne perplexed ; Gates sujiersedes 
Schuyler in conuuand, 274 ; Burgoyne's army moves forward ; Battle on Bemis's 
Heights, 275 ; General Arnold in the battle ; Petty jealousy of the opposing command- 
ers, 376 ; Wretched condition of Burgoyne'.s army ; A council of war, 377 ; Second 
battle on Bemis's Heights, 378-280 ; Bravery of Arnold, who really won the victory, 
279, 280 ; Burgoyne retreats to the Heights of Saratoga, and surrenders, 281 ; The sur- 
rendered troops paroled, but detained in America ; Effects of the surrender of Burgoyne, 
283. 

CHAPTER XX. 

The British under Sir Ilcnry Clinton capture Stony Point. 283 ; They capture Forls 
Montgomery and Clinton, in the Hnd.son Highlands, 284 ; The boom across the Hudson 
broken ; Clinton's d&spatch to Burgoyne and fate of the bearer, 285 ; Marauding British 
troops burn Kingston ; Battle on the Brandywine Creek ; Americans defeated ; Massacr(,' 
near the Paoli Tavern, 286 ; Flight of Congress from Philadelphia ; Americans defeated 
at Germantown, and retire to Whitemarsh. 387 ; Conspiracy against Washington — 
" Conway's Cabal ;" Loyalty of Lafayette. 288 ; A council with Indians at Johnstown. 
289; Desolations by Indians and Tories in the interior of New York, 290; Ma.ssacre at 
Cherry Valley, 391 ; Inva.sion of the Wyoming V^alley, 393 ; Resistance to the invasion, 
293 ; Desolation of Wyoming, 294 ; Alliance with France ; An English peace-commi.s- 
sioner ; The British flee from Philadelphia ; Battle at Monmouth Court-Housc, 395 ; 
Hostilities in Rhode Island and off the coast, 297. 



CUXTEN'ry. 



CHAPTEU XXI. 



Britisli cxpcfiilion up llic Ifiulson, 397 ; C'liptiirc of Slony Point and Vcrplanck's 
Point ; Hrilisli luiiriuiili'i's on the coasts of ("onneolicnt, 298 ; Wayne atlaclis Stony 
Point, 29!) ; The Americans recapture Stony Point, 300 ; Indian atrocities ; Expedition 
against the Onondagas; Trajiedy at >Iinisinl<, UOl ; Honors to the dead at (Joshen. 302; 
Sullivan's canii).ii;;n, 303, 304 ; Sicire of Savannah ; A naval tijjlit : Sir .John Johnson's 
raid into tlu; Mohawk Valley, 30"), 30(5 ; Sclioharie Valley desolated, 30(! ; Operations in 
the Mohawk Valley, 307 ; Battle at " Klock's Field ;" Invasion of a motley army from 
Canada; Sir Henry Clinton sails for Charleston ; Surrender of Charleston, 30S ; Oper- 
ations of Cornwallis in the Carolinas ; Baltic of King's Mountain : Arrival of a land and 
naval force from France, 309. 

CHAPTER X.XII. 

Arnold's treason, 310-315; Complot of Arnold and Major Andr6, 311 ; Arrival of 
Major Andre, 312 ; Events at Arnold's lieadipiartcrs, 313, 314 ; Escape of Arnold ; 
Andre conveyed to Tappan, 314 ; Trial and execution of Andre. 314, 315 ; The fate 
of Arnold and Aiulre ; Stirring event on Long Island, 315 ; Civil events in the region of 
the New Ilamiishire Grants, or Vermont. 310 ; Leaders in Vermont co(juel with 
liritish luithoritics in Canada, 317, 3IH ; Settlement of disputes hetween New York and 
Vermont ; Continental paper currency and Articles of Confederation, 319 ; Weakness 
of the general government ; Arnold serving his purcha.sers in Virginia. 320 ; Biilish 
troops in Virginia, 331 ; Allied armies and the British in Virginia, 323 ; Surrender of 
Cornwallis; War in the South, 323 ; Greene's famous retreat ; Greene turns upon his 
enemies, 324, 325 ; Battles at Guilford Court-House. near Camden, Fort Ninety-Six, and 
Eulaw Spring, 334, 325. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Closing events of the Revolution, 326-331 ; Discontents of tlie .soldiers ; A proposal 
to Washington to become king; The " Ncwburg Addres.ses." 327 : The results of a 
meeting of ollieers, 328 ; Dislianding of the Continental Ainiy begun, 32S. :329 ; Latest 
survivors of the army, 329; The Society of the Cincinnati, 329, 330; Flight of Tories 
from New York, and confiscations, 330 ; The British evacuate New York ; Washington 
parts with his officers, 331 ; Surrenders his commission ; Foundation of a Stale Govern- 
ment laid, 332, 333 ; Political capital of New York ; Adjustment of boundaries, 333 ; 
Land cc.s.sions by the Six Nations, 334 ; Territorial claims adjusted, 335 ; Formation of 
a National Constitution, 330 ; F'ederalists and Anti-Federalists, 337 ; Popular discussions 
of the Constitution, 338 ; Consliluent Convention at Poughkeepsie, 339 ; AdoiJtiou of 
the Constitution ; Jlembers of the National Congress for New Y'ork, 341. 



CITAPTKR XXIV. 

Political divisions of New York ; Emigrations and settlements, 342 ; Land pur- 
chasers ; A great w.igon-road constructed ; Party strife, 343 ; First meeting of Congress 
under the Constitution, 344 ; Washington inaugurated President of the I'nited States, 
345; Official appointments; Spirit of the Constitution of New York ; A political coa- 
lition. 346; Origin of the canal sy.stem in the State, 347, 348; The early promoters of 
the s}-.stem, 347-349 ; Condivion of New Y'ork City at the close of the Revolution. 3.")0 ; 
A Federal celebration, 351 ; A newspaper office mobbed ; Yellow-fever in New York 
City, 352. 



CUNTKNTS. xi 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Effect of the French Uevoliitiou ou American politics. 303 ; Jefferson's expectations, 
disaiipoiutnients. and suspicions, 353, 354 ; Jefferson tlie leader of the Kepiiblican Partj' ; 
Arrival of " Citizen " Genet, 354 ; Reception of Genet in Philadelphia, 355 ; Democratic 
societies formed ; Conduct of Genet and his friends, 356 ; Reception of Genet in Xew 
York ; His recall. 357 ; Social iutiueuce of French emigrants in Xew York ; Jaj's 
treaty, 358, 359 ; The Whiskey insurrection, 358 ; Opposition to Jay's treaty,' 359 ; The 
Tanmiany Society, or Columliian Order ; Legislative aid for common schools jirovided. 
360. 361 ; State Literature Fund ; Support of popular education, 361 ; Board of 
Regents, 362 ; Electors ; Abolition of slavery proposed ; Albany made the State capital. 
363 ; The alliance with France celebrated ; Political strife, 364 ; Manhattan Water 
Company nnd Bank, 365 ; De Witt Clinton: Jefferson elected President; Downfall of 
the Federal Parly ; Death of Washington, 366. 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Social aspects of New York State and City at the beginning of this century, 36T-370 ; 
The Chamber of Commerce and benevolent societies, 369 ; Churches and country-seats ; 
First revision of the State Constitution, 370 ; Political influence of two families, 371 ; A 
bitter personal and political warfare, 373 ; Schism in the Democratic Parly ; Hamilton and 
Burr, 373 ; Hamilton slain by Burr in a duel, 374, 375 ; Burr's political death, and trial 
for treason ; The West Point ^Military Academy ; Governor Morgan Lewis, 375 ; 
Foundation of a permanent school fund laid ; The Free School Society, 376 ; Navigation 
by steam established, 377: Embargo Act, 378: Cause of the downfall of the Federal 
Party ; Coipietting with the " Burrites," 379, 380 : The State prepares for war ; Gov- 
ernor Tumpkin-;, 380; The British Oi'dcrs in Cnuucil unrepealed, 381. 

CHAPTER XXVIL 

The genesis of the-Erie Canal, 383, 385 : Gouverneur Morris, 382 ; Jesse Hawley, 
Simeon De Witt, and Joshua Forman, 383 ; Thomas Eddy and a. public meeting in New 
York, 384 ; Beginning of the cou.stniclion of the Erie Canal. 385 ; Opposition to it, 386 ; 
Second overthrow of the Federal Party, 380 ; War of 1813-15 ; The C/usii/iii(/,e antl 
Leopard affair, 387 ; Peace Party ; Nortliern frontier of New York. 388 : Surrender of 
Detroit ; Militia of New York, 389 ; Begimiing of war on the Northern frontier, 390- 
392 ; Battle of Queenstown, 393-396. 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Doings of the American Nav}% 397, 398 ; A bank charter in politics, 399. 400 ; De 
Witt Clinton a candidate for the Presidency of the United States, 400 ; Hostilities on 
Lake (jntario and the regions of the St. Lawrence and Niagara rivers, 400, 401 ; War 
spirit in the West, 403 ; Mo\ements for the recovery of Michigan, 403, 404 ; Belligerent 
fleets on Lake Erie, 405 ; Battle on Lake Erie, 405. 406 ; The Creek War, 406, 407. 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

Attack on Ogdensburg, 408 ; The capture of York (Toronto), 409 ; The Niag.ara 
River and frontier in possession of the Americans, 410 ; Attack ou Sacketl's Harbor, 
411.412: Affair at the Beaver Dams, 412 ; Operations on the Niagara frontier, 413 ; 



XII CONTENTS 

Opcnil ions nil Laki; limiiiphiiii, 414, 41.'( ; Kxpcdilion :i;;aiii.-.l MuiilRiil, 41.V41T ; 'I'liu 
Niaj;iini t'idiilicr dcsohilod, 417 : Nnviil opcnilioiiv mi the sea, 417, 418; Ainpliiliiiiiis 
wiiifari-. Iix : Aiiiriiiaii naval force in isi:?. ll!l. 



( IIAI'IKI! XX.X 

Wcllinjilon's vek'iaris sciil to the riiiUul Slates, 43(1 ; Peace Faction, 42(1 ; Baltic at 
La Colic Mill ; Stniirirlc for the inastciy of Lake Ontario, 421 ; Invasion of Canada, 422, 
42S ; Hatllc ol Cliippcwii, 434 ; Battle of Lundy's Lane, 425 ; Americans victorious at 
Foit Eric, 42(i ; I.aiiil iind naval coiite>l :il ri.itlNliiiri;h, 427-4^1 ; Attack on Fort 
Mackinaw, 4:52. 

CIlAl'TKI! XXXI. 

Naval and military operations on the coasts of the rniled States. 4:!3, 434 ; Stirring 
scenes at New York, 434 ; British invasion of Maryland, 43-") ; Hatllc of Bladenslinrg ; 
Incendiarianisin at Washington, 436 ; British repulsed at Baltimore, 437 ; Naval opera- 
tions on the ocean in 1H14. 43S, 43il ; American privateers, 440; New Orleans and 
Louisiana llireatcncd, 441 ; Battle of New Orleans. 442; News of peace at New York, 
442. 443 ; The Hartford Convention, 443, 444. 

ClIAI'TKK XXXll. 

Governors Toniiikiiis and Clinton, 445; Common schools anil school fund, 446; 
Civil alTairs in the Slate, 447^57 ; Defence against invasion, 448 ; .Movements in favor 
of llie construction nf ihe Erie Canal. 441), 450 ; Abolition of slavery jiroposcd, 451 ; 
Change in th ■ position of iiolitical leaders, 452 ; " Bucktnils " and " C'lintonions," 453 ; 
Powers of the Councils of Appointment and Kevi.sion, 454 ; Revision of the .State Con- 
stitution, 455 ; Features of the revised Ciin.stilulioii, 45(i, 457. 

(IIAI'IKI! XX.XIII. 

Condilioii of New York in 1H21 ; The Barliary Powers, 458 ; Readjustment of the 
machinery of the Stale government, 4.59 ; The " People's l^irty ;" lie Witt Clinton and 
the people, 460 ; Lafayette's visit, 461 ; A new era, 462 ; Opening of the Erie Canal, 
463 ; Celebration of Ihe opening of the canal, 463-468 ; Grand display in New York 
Harbor, 465; Nuptials of Ihe lakes and Ihe .sea, 466; Grand procession in New York 
City, 467 ; Achievements of the Erie Canal, 468-470 : Buffalo and Rochester in 1813, 
4011, 470 ; A pagan rite at Rochester, 47U ; The common-school system, 471 ; The 
AnIiMasonic episode, 471. 472. 

CllAPTKR XXXIV. 

Tariff laws and the " American System ;" Dealli of Governor Clinton, 473 ; .Safety- 
fund system, 474 ; Anti-.Masonic Journal and Thiirlow Weed, 476; A " Workingmen's 
Parly ;" New Yoik fashions. 476 ; Name of the Whig Party — how given, 477 ; Iinjuison- 
nient for delil abolished, 478 ; Hcnewal of the riiited Stales ]5ank charier considered, 
479 ; Van Buren appoiiilcil .Minister to England ; Rejected by the Senale. and the 
result ; Nullitication sui)prcssed, 480 ; Actions of the United Slates Bank ; Eipial Rights 
Party, 481, 482; Locofocos, 481; Revolution in journalism, 483; Election riots in 
1834. 483, 484; Native American Party, 484, 485 ; Abolition riots, 485; Collapse of 
Ihe credit system, 485, 486 ; Crolon Aiiueduct, 487. 



CONTENTS. -xili 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

Free school libraries established, 487 ; Normal School at Albany, 488 ; Lancaslrian 
and Peslalozzian systems of teacliiiig, 488, 489 ; Kevolutionary movements in Canada. 
489, 490 ; " Hero of the Thousand Islands," 490 ; A disturbini; incident on the Niagara 
frontier, 491 ; Overthrow of the Democratic Party, 491, 492 ; Financial achievements of tlio 
State, 493 ; Erie Canal ; Mr. Seward's first encounter with the slave power, 493 ; 
Seward on general education, 494 ; John C. Spencer on the same subject, 495 ; The 
Roman Catholics and the common-school fund, 496, 497 ; The Secretary of State and 
the Legislature at variance, 497 ; Anti-rentism, 499, oOO ; Tlie electric telegraph and 
Professor Morse, 500 ; Governor Wright on the school fund, .500 ; The common-.school 
system ; The annexation of Te.xas, .501. 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Third revision of the State Constitution, 503-505 ; The school system, action >ipon 
the, 505-507 ; .John Young governor, 506 ; Hamilton Fisli governor ; Whig Party trium- 
phant, 507 ; Washington Hunt governor ; Repeal of the Free School Law, 508 ; The 
common-school fund ; Horatio Seymour governor, 509 ; Reorganization of the edu- 
cational system of the State ; Completion of the canals urgeil, 510 ; Governor Sey- 
mour ofTends the temperance people by vetoing a prohilatory liq\ior bill, 510; Myron 
H. Clark governor, and a stanch prohibitionist, 511 ; Republican Parly organized, 511 ; 
Controls the National power, 512 ; The Lemon .slave ca.se, 512, 513 ; John A. King gov- 
ernor, 513 ; Edwin D. Morgan governor, 514 ; Struggle between Freedom and Slavery 
begun, 515 ; Conspiracy against the Union, 515, 516. 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Condition of New York State and City in 1861 ; An approaching tempest watched, 
517 : A famous and inspiriting order, 517, 518 ; Loyal and patriotic action of the Legis- 
lature, 519 ; Disloyalty of the Mayor of New York, 519 ; Conservatism of business men ; 
The Crittenden Compromise, 520 ; A disloyal society, 520, 521 ; Insolence of a Seces- 
sion leader ; Formation of a league to destroy the republic, 521 ; Events in Charleston 
Harbor ; The President's call for troops. 522 ; Response of New York, 522 ; War meet- 
ing at New York, 522, 523 ; The L'nicin Defence Committee, 523 ; The Seventh Regiment 
goes to the field, 524; Patriotic women; The Friends, or (Quakers, 524; Action of 
civil and military authorities, 525 ; Financial aid given by New York ; Women's 
Relief Associations, 526 ; United Slates Sanitary and Christian Commissions, 527-529. 

CHAPTER XXXVIIL 

Change in political aspects ; Financial ability of the State, 530 ; Soldiers furnished 
for the war ; A new era ; Governor Seymour's message, 531 ; The peace faction and 
Vallandigham, 532 ; Seditious movements ; The draft, 583 ; Draft riot in New Y'ork 
City, 534 ; Union League Club ; National currency established, 535 ; Conspiracies of 
the Confederates, 536 ; Men and money furnished for the war ; Trophies, 537 : Close of the 
war : Death of President Lincoln, 538 ; Important legislative action, 539 ; Revision of the 
State Constitution ; Cornell University, 540 ; Election in 1868. .541. 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

.John T. HofTnian governor ; Fifteenth Amendment of the National Constitution, 
.542 ; .V reacti<inary movement ; Amendments of charter, .543 ; Popular education ; Riot 



XIV CONTENTS: 

ill New York C'ily , 544 ; Tweeil Ifiiig, 544, .■>45 ; Plunderiiij; of the Treasury of New York 
City, 545, 546 ; Tlie Exposure of llie plunderers, 547, and the result, 548 ; Jlovenienis 
of tlie colored population ; Liberal l{ei)ublicau Party ; Horace Greeley for President of 
the United Stales, 548 ; A social plienoinenon (note), 548; A Civil Hights Bill; John 
A. l)ix governor, 54!) ; Alterations in the State Constitution ; (Jonipulsory education, 
050 ; Laws for the protection of minors, 551 ; Samuel J. Tilden governor, 552. 

CHAPTER XL. 

Centennial celebration and exhibition ; Savings-banks, 553 ; Investigations ; Frauds 
discovered, 554 ; Canals in the State, 554 ; Their length and cost. .555 ; Railroads in the 
State and their operations, 555 ; Public instruction, 556 ; New Slate House, 556, 557 ; 
The aggregate jiublic debt ; Movements of population, 557 ; Products of industry. 55H. 559 ; 
Marine archileclure, 559 ; Stale of popular intelligence, 559, 560 ; Books and periodicals ; 
Money investments ; Benevolent and charitable institutions ; Litcrarj" and .scienlilic 
societies, 500 ; Churches, 560, 561 ; The Hudson River and its associations, 561 ; Manors 
and manor-houses on the Hudson, 562-565 ; Government House ; Attractions of New 
York City, 566 ; New York City and its Larbor, 566, 567 ; Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty 
Enlightening the World ; A metropolitan city, .567. 

CHAPTER XLL 

Religious and social a.spect of New York City; School of the Collegiate (Dutch 
Reformed) Church, 568 ; Religious denominations in colonial New York ; An episco- 
pacy opposed, 569 ; Political condition of colonial New York, 569, 570 ; Courts, trade, 
and population in the colony ; How settlements were discouraged, 571 ; Statesmen, 
jurists, historians, and other literary men, 572-575 ; AVriters on science, 575 ; The fine 
arts andarlist.s, 575, 576. 

APPENDIX. 

The organization of the counties of the Slate ; Governors, colonial and Stale. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



A. 

PAGE 

1. All)any, Seal of the City of 103 

3. Albany County Seal 99 

3. Albany, Plan of in 1695 138 

4. Allegany County Seal oTB 

5. Allerton. Isaac, Signature of. ... 49 

6. Amherst, Jeffrey, Portrait of 179 

7. Armstrong, John, Portrait of . . . . ol3 

8. Andros, Eilniond, Signature of. . 91 

9. Arnold, Benedict, Portrait of . . . . 310 
10. Ato-tar-ho 8 



B. 

11. Batter}', Bowling Green, and Fort 

George 19.j 

13. Ba.xter, George, Signature of. ... 58 

13. Bayard Arms, The lOG 

14. Bayard, Xicliolas, Signature of. . lot! 
l.j. Beeckman Arms, The Ill 

16. Beeckman, Gerardus, Portrait of. 110 

17. Beeckman, Gerardus, Signature 

of 110 

18. Beeckman, AVilliam, Signature 

of ^ 73 

19. Bellomont, Earl of. Portrait of. . 131 

20. Bellomont, Earl of. Signature of. . 131 

21. Bellows, Henry W., Portrait of.. 537 

22. Berkeley, John, Signature of 94 

23. Biilop House 340 

24. Binnenhof, The 16 

25. Bogardus, Everardus, Signature 

of 34 

26. Bolingbroke, Lord, Signature of. 13G 

27. Bouck, W. C, Portrait of 498 

28. Bradstreet, John, Signature of. . . 174 

29. Brant, Joseph, Portrait of 270 

30. Broome County Seal 578 

31. Brown, Jacob 396 

32. Brown's Jlonument 307 



PAOB 

33. Buffalo in 1813 469 

34. Burnet, William, Portrait of 139 

35. Burns's Coffee-House 198 

36. Burr, Aaron, Portrait of 365 

C. 

37. Carr, Robert, Signature of 75 

38. Carroll, Charles, Portrait of 239 

39. Carteret, George, Siguature of. . . 94 

40. Carterets, Arms of the 86 

41. Cartwright, George, Signature of. 75 
43. Castle Garden 461 

43. Cattaraugus County -Seal 578 

44. Cayuga County Seal 578 

45. Champla.in, Samuel, Portrait of. 10 

46. Chase, Samuel, Portrait of 239 

47. Chautauqua County Seal 578 

48. Chenango County Seal 578 

49. Cincinnati, Order of the 330 

50. Clark, Myron H., Portrait of 511 

51. Clarke's Monument 1-53 

53. Clermont, The 377 

53. City Hall, The First 63 

54. City Hall in 1700 136 

.55. City Hall, Wall Street 344 

56. Clinton Arms, The 154 

57. Clinton County Seal 578 

.58. Clinton, DeWitt, Portrait of 385 

59. Clinton, George, Portrait of 399 

GO. Clinton. James 384 

61. Clinton's De.spatch 385 

63. Clipper-built Schooner. A 439 

63. Colden, Cadwallader, Se.-d of 140 

64. Colden, Cadwallader, Signature 

of 187 

65. Colden, Cadwallader, Portrait of. 187 
G6. CoUyer, Vincent, Portrait of 539 

67. Columbia Coimty Seal 578 

68. Constitution Hou.se at Kingston. 2.58 

69. Cook, Lemuel 328 



II.M STHATIUNS. 



70. Coopi'i-, Jjimcs Ffiiimnic, Por- 

liait of .")74 

71. C'onibuiT, Lord, Signiituir of. . . Kil 

72. CornbuiT, Lonl. Poitrail of i;il 

73. ('orlhiiul Coiinly Si-al .")78 

74. ('ostuim'.s of Ilolliuidirs, l(i;iO... -20 

75. Costumes and Funiilmc, 1740.. 149 

76. Costunios. 1800 ;i6S 

77. C"<)slumi-s about 18!52 477 

78. Cniarer, John, Portrait of 3G1) 



n. 

79. Dearborn, Ilriiry, I'nrlrail (.f :!02 

80. Dclawar.' County Seal ■>7i) 

81. I)e Lai't, John, Signature of ()4 

82. I)c Lancoy, James, Signature of. l.")8 

83. I)e Lancey, James, Seal of lo8 

84. De Lancey, Oliver, Signature of. 213 

85. Do Pcyster Arms 130 

86. D^ Pcyster, Abrabani. Portrait 

of..." 12!) 

87. De Peyster, Johannes, Seal and 

Signature of 86 

88. De Sille, Signature of 67 

89. De Vries, David Pieter.sen, Por- 

trait of 33 

!Mi. Dix. .lolui .v., Portrait of 548 

91. Di.v's (Jrder, Facsimile of 518 

93. Doiigun, Governor, Signature of. 96 

93. Duanc, James, Portrait of 350 

94. Duchess County Seal 99 

9.5. Duke of Vork's Seal 84 

90. Dunmore, Governor, Signature 

of 203 

97. DuMiiiore, (iiivi'rnor. Seal of 203 

98. Dutch (bun hat Albany 45 

K. 

99. Erie County Seal 578 

100. Essex County Seal 579 

101. Kveitscn. Admiral Cornclis, Por- 

trait of 88 

102. lOxecutive Privy Seal 504 



F. 

103. Fac-simile of Journal of the Con- 
vention. 1788 340 



rAUK 

104. Federal Arms of the Five Na- 

tions 7 

105. Feiiton, Reuben E., Portrall of. . .537 
lOG. Fish, llainihon. Portrait of ,507 

107. Flag of Holland 81 

108. Flag of the Dutch West India 

Company 23 

109. Fletcher, Governor, Seal and Sig- 

nature of 117 

110. Fort Plain IJlock-IIouse 306 

111. Franklin, Dr., Portrait of 239 

112. Franklin County Seal 579 

113. Fulton County Seal 579 

114. Fulton, Robert. Portrait of 376 

115. l-'idUm the Firtd 378 

G. 

116. Garden Street Church 125 

117. Gardiner Arms, The 43 

118. Gates Medal, The 283 

119. Genesee County Seal 579 

120. Genet, E. C. , Portrait of 354 

121. George III.. Statue of 199 

122. Goshen, .Monument at 302 

123. (Jouvcrneur, Abraliani. Signature 

of '. Ill 

134. Government IIous(; 566 

125. Greene Co\inty Seal ... 579 

126. Grinnell, Moses IL, Portrait of. . .523 

ir. 

127. Jliilf Moon . TIk- 13 

128. Il.iiuillon. Alexander, Porlndtof. 337 

129. Hamilton, Andrew, Portrait of.. 145 

130. Hamilton and the People 146 

131. Hamilton County Seal 579 

132. Heathcote, Caleb, Portrait of 133 

133. Heathcote, Caleb, Signature of.. 133. 
i;«, Hindrick, King, Portrait of.. .. 166 

135. I hrkiiiur County Seal 579 

136. Hoirman. John T.. Portrait of.. .543 

137. Hone, Philip, Portrait of 4t)5 

138. Howe, Lord George, Portrait of. 175 

139. Hudson, Henry, Portrait of 11 

140. Hughes, Archi)ishop, Portrait of. 496 

141. Hunt, Washington, Portrait of.. 508 

142. Hunter, Rolx'rt, Signature of 137 

143. Hunter, lU)bert, Seal of 137 



ILLUSTKATIO.NS. 



I. 

I'AUB 

144. Iiidiim Fori, Altuck upon IT 

145. IngoUlsliy. Kicliurd, Signature (if. \:& 

146. Iroquois Cliieftain 8 

147. Irving, Wii.sliington 573 

148. Iziird. George, Portrait of 43(5 

J. 

149. James II., Portrait of 101 

150. James II., Signature of 101 

151. Jay, Jolui, Portrait of 257 

152. Jay, William, Portrait of 451 

153. Jefferson t'ouuty Seal 579 

154. Jersey Prison Ship 249 

155. Jogues, Isaac, Portrait of 47 

156. Jolinson, Guy, House of 225 

157. Jolinson, Sir John, Portrait of. . 231 

158. Johnson, Sir William, Portrait of. 224 

159. Johnson, Sir William, Signature 

of 235 

160. Johnson Hall 226 

K. 

161. Keg of Erie Water 467 

162. Kent, James, Portrait of 448 

163. Kieft. William, Signature of 39 

164. King, John A 518 

165. Kings County Seal 99 

166. Knapp,Uzal, Portrait of 235 

L. 

167. Lamb, John, Portrait of 205 

168. Lamb, John, Signature of 205 

169. Leisler, Jacob, Seal and Signa- 

ture of 107 

170. Lewis County Seal 579 

J71. Lewis, llorgan. Portrait of 374 

172. Life Guard. Banner of 336 

173. Links of Chain at West Point. . . 253 

174. Livingston Arms, The 108 

175. Livingston County Seal 579 

176. Livingston. John, Portrait of. .. . 502 

177. Livingston JIanor House 563 

178. Livingston, .^lary. Portrait of. . . 562 

179. Livingston, Robert. Portrait of. . 108 

180. Living.ston, Philip, Portrait of. . . 221 

181. Livingston, Robert R.. Portrait 

of 345 



PAGE 

182. Loockermans, Govert, Signature 

of 56 

183. Lovelace. Lord. Signature of 133 

M. 

184. JIacdonough, Thomas, Portrait 

of 429 

185. Macomb, Alexander, Portrait of. 430 

186. JIadison County Seal 579 

187. llarcy, William L , Portrait of. . 479 

188. Megopolensis. John. Signature of. 77 

189. Melyn, Cornclis, Signature of . . 51 

190. Milking-Time at Albany 150 

191. Minuit, Peter, Signature of 27 

192. Jlonckton, Robert, Signature of. 193 

193. Monckton, Robert, Seal of 193 

194. Monroe County Seal 579 

195. Montgomery County Seal 583 

196. Jlontgomery, Richard, Portrait 

of." 329 

197. Jlooers. Benjamin, Portrait of.. 427 

198. Moore, Governor, Signature of.. 193 

199. :\Ioore, Governor, Seal of 193 

200. Morgan. Edwin I)., Portrait of.. 513 
301. iMorris Arms, The 143 

203. Morris, Gouverneur, Portrait of. 382 
303. Morris, Lewis, Signature of 143 

X. 

204. New Amsterdam. 1664 79 

205. New Amsterdam, Cottage at 80 

206. New Amsterdam, Seal of 67 

207. Neio Netherlancl. The 25 

208. New Netherlaud, Jlap of 36. 37 

209. New Netherlaud. Seal of 27 

210. New State Capital (Frontispiece). 

211. New York City, Seal of 95 

313. New York County Seal 97 

213. New York Province, Seal of . . . . 109 

214. Niagara County Seal 583 

215. Niagara, Fort 402 

216. Nicolls, Richard. Signature of... 74 

217. Nicholson. Francis, Signature of . 105 

218. Normal School Building 488 

O. 

219. Oneida County Seal 582 

220. Onondasra Countv Seal 583 



XVIll 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

2:21. Oiilario C'ownly iS«il -Wa 

222. Oriiiigf County Seal 99 

223. OiU-aiis County Stal 582 

224. 0.swfgo County Seal 582 

225. Oswego. Foit, in 1750 141 

22(i. Otsego County Seal 582 

P. 

227. IVny. Oliver II.. Pnilniil of 405 

228. Pliilipsc .Manor House ,565 

229. Pilvc, Zeliulon .M.. Portrait of. . . 409 

230. Pleasure Wagon, A Dulcli 69 

231. Power, Nieliolns, Signature of.. 339 

232. Public Instruction, Seal of De- 

parlinent of 510 

233. Publishing the Constitution 2.59 

234. Put nam ('<iunly Seal 582 

Q- 

235. Queens County Seal 99 

236. Queenstown, Ineident in the Hat- 

tleat 394 

R. 

237. Randoliih, Peyton, Portrait of... 210 

238. Handolijh, Peyton, Signature of. 21T 

239. Red Jacket, Portrait of 423 

240. Reid, Samuel C, Portrait of 440 

241. Rensselaer County Seal 582 

242. Rielnnond County Seal 99 

243. Hiedesel, Baroness de, Portrait 

of 265 

244. Rivinglon. .lames, Porlr.-iil of... 233 

245. Rivinglon, .lames, Signature of. . 234 

246. Rohinson, Reverly, Portrait of. . 318 

247. Robinson House, The 313 

248. Rochainbeau, Portrait of 320 

249. Rochester iji 1813 470 

250. Rockland Counly Seal 582 

251. Rogers, Robert. Portrait of 185 

252. Roj/iil Snrdfif. Tlie 251 



S. 

253. St. Lawrence County Seal .582 

254. Saratogji County Seal 583 

355. Schenectady County Seal ..... 583 

256. Schoharie County Seal .583 



TAUE 

257. Schuyler Arms, The 135 

258. Schuyler County Seal 583 

259. Schuyler, Peter, Portrait of 134 

260. Schuyler, Philip, Portrait of 281 

261. Scott, Winlield, Portrait of 422 

262. Seju's, Isaac. Signature of 208 

263. Seal, Fir.-it Great, of Kew York.. 332 

264. Seal, Second Great, of New 

York 333 

265. Seneca County Seal 583 

266. Seward, William II., Portrait of. 492 

267. Seymour, Horatio, Portrait of... 509 

268. Silver Bullet 285 

269. Snake Device 212 

270. Statue of Lil)erty, Barlholdi 567 

271. Sleenwyck, Cornelis, Portrait of. 87 

272. Steuben. Baron von, Portrait of. 322 

273. Steuben's Monument 321 

274. Steuben County Se.d 583 

275. Stirling, Lord, Portrait of 245 

276. Stone Mill at Plattsburg 428 

277. Stone, William L., Portrait of... 463 

278. Stuyvesant, Peter, Portrait of,. . 53 

279. Stuyvesant. Peter, Signature of. . 78 

280. Sinyvesiint's Seal 54 

281. Sulfolk County, Seal of 99 

282. Sullivan County Seal 583 

283. Sullivan, .John, Portrait of 303 

T. 

284. Tables at Federal Dinner 351 

285. Throop, Enos T., Portrait of 478 

286. Ticonderoga, Fort, Ruins of. .. . 219 

287. Tildeii, Samuel J., Portrait of. . 551 

288. Tioga County Seal 583 

289. Tompkins, Daniel I)., Portrait of. 380 

290. Tompkins County Seal 583 

291. Totemic Signatmvs. 6 

292. Trinity Church. Old 120 

2!t3. Tryon. Governor, Signature of. . 204 
294. Tryon, Governor, Seal of 204 



U. 



295. Ulster Counly Seal 99 

296. Underhill, John, Signature of... 50 

297. United States Sanitary Commis- 

sion Seal 528 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



XIX 



298. 
L'99. 
;i()0. 

801. 

303. 
803. 
304. 

305. 
306. 

307. 

308. 
309. 

310. 

311. 
313. 

313. 



314. 



V. 

I'AUE 

Van Buren, Martin, Portrait of. . 446 

Van Cortlandt Manor House 564 

Van Cortlandt, Oloff S., Seal and 

Signature of 61 

Van Curler, Arendt, Sigiiatuic 

of 44 

Van Dam. Rip, Portrait of 142 

Van Der Doncli, Slgnatiu'c of... 61 
Van Dincklasen, Lubbertus, Sig- 
nature of 38 

Van Rensselaer Aims, The 46 

Van Rensselaer, Killian, Signa- . 

ture of 33 

Van Rensselaer, Jeremias, Por- 
trait of W 

Van Rensselaer Manor House. . . . 561 
Van Rensselaer, Stephen, Por- 
trait of 395 

Van Ruyvcn, Cornelis, Signature 

of...." TS 

Van Slcchtenhorst, Signature of. 60 
Van Twiller, Walter, Signature 

of 34 

Varick, Richard, Portrait of 359 

W. 

Wampum Belt 19 



lAGE 

315. War Implements, Indian 294 

316. Warren County Seal 583 

317. Washington County Seal .583 

318. Wasliiugton, Colonel George, 

Portrait of 176 

319. Washington's Headquarters, 

Room in 326 

320. AVatson, Elkanah, Portrait of. . . 348 

331. Wayne, Anthony, Portrait of 399 

332. Wayne County Seal 583 

333. Wayne's Despatch 300 

334. Webb, James Watson, Portrait 

of 483 

335. West India Company's House. . . 21 

336. Westcliestcr County Seal 99 

337. Wilkinson, James, Portrait of. .. 414 

338. Willett, Marinus, Portmit of 273 

339. Windmill, A Dutch 69 

330. Wool, John E., Portrait of 535 

331. Wooster, David, Portrait of 330 

332. Wright, Silas, Portrait of 475 

333. Wyoming County Seal 583 



Y. 



334. Yates, Jo.seph C, Portrait of 4.59 

335. Yates County Seal 583 

336. Young, John, Portrait of 506 



]IIST()IiV OF 



THE STATE OF NEIW ^T)RI 



V. 



ClIAPTEIl I. 

Xkw Yohk is raiikeil among' tliL' cuiiunoiiwt'iLltlis of our Hepublic as 
■■ Tile Eiii])ire State."' Wlierefore i Is it imperial in its various aspects 
i>t' popnlation, M-ealtli, the products of its industries, its forests and 
mines, its natural scenery, its eoniTuerce, and its institutions of learnini^ 
and benevolence ; Let lis see. 

The superficial ai'ea of Xew York is 4'.*,ih)ii s(|uare miles, including 
its share of Lakes Erie and Ontario and the St. Lawrence Tliver. Its 
surface is pictnresipiely diversitied witli lofty ranges of the Appalachian 
cliaiu of Tnonntains, which crown the Atlantic slope of the continent 
from the Gnlf region to the St. Lawrence, and with fertile valleys and 
uplands, and nuiiierous lakes and rivers. 

The loftiest mountain peak in the State is Blount Marcy, the T"-/i"- 
ifiis or ■■ sky-piercer" of the Indians. It is one of the grand Adirondack 
group in ^Northern New Y(irk. and rises to the altitude of over SAGO feet 
above tide-water. 

The chief river of the State is the Hudson, flowing from the springs 
of the Adirondack Mountains, receiving nnmerous swift-running tribu- 
taries, and is navigable for large vessels fully ItiO miles from the ocean. 
It traverses a most picturesque and fertile region about 3U0 miles. 
Along its whole course its waters and its banks are thickly clustered with 
exciting and romantic historical and legendary associations. 

New York is bisected east and west by the longest and best-equipped 
canal in the world. It was constructed by the State (1817-:ioi, is 363 
miles in length, and cost over S!t,ii(M),0(Mi. Its subsequent enlarge- 
ment cost $2.5,0(1(1. (II Ml. There are ten other canals owned by the State, 
the atrijre<'ate len<rth of M-hich is over 9(i(i miles. There are 133 rail- 
I'oads in the State, having a tntal Iciiiitli in operation within the borders 
of the comnuinwealth of nearlv 70M0 miles. 



2 TIIK KMI'im; STATK. 

Tlio climate of New York is (ialuln'ious iind varied, liaving a ranee 
wider than in any other niuniber of the Union. The State lies between 
the parallels of 40° iO' and 45° north latitude. Its soil is productive 
almost everywhere. In the value of its farm lands and general farm 
])roduets it leads all the other States. In 18S0, according to the tenth 
national census, it had within its borders nearly 242,0(10 farms, embracing 
over 23,000,fMi(i acres, of which nearly 18,000,000 acres were improved 
land. The total value of the farms was more than $1,000,0(10.000. 
Tlie State contained, in ISSo, nearly 4:^.iMin manufacturing cstablisliments, 
employing about §515,000,000 of ("qiital, and jiroducing annually goods 
valued at nearly Sl.litO,0(tO,(K)(i. 

The population of the State in ISSu was 5,082,871, or 7!'l.t,!»8ii more 
inlial)itants than any other State of the Republic, and embracing about 
one tenth of the entire population of the thirty-eight United States and 
the Territories. It also carries on its bosom seventeen cities, each having 
a population of 20,000 and upward. Five of these cities have each a 
]ii)pulation of over 100,(10(1. Its system of puldic instruction is un- 
rivalled. 

These are a few of the many facts that miglit be presented in justifi- 
cation of giving to New York tiie title of '" The Empire State." 

This mighty fraction of the (ireat Ile])ublic of the West — this popu- 
lous, wealthy, and powerful State — had its birth two centuries and three 
ijuarters ago on the little island of Mannaliatta, or Manhattan, lying 
where the fresh waters of the Hudson River lovingly commingle with 
the brine of the Atlantic Ocean, .\round the cradle in which the infant 
empire was rocked stood in wonder and awe representatives of an 
ancient race, dusky and liarbarous in a.spect, whose early liistorv is 
involved in the lioi)eless obscurity of myth and fable. 

At the same time there was a barbaric repnlilic in tjie wilderness, 
simple, pure, and ixiwerful. its cajiital seated a hundred leagues from 
the .sea, among the beautiful hills and shadowy forests, glittering lakes 
and sunny savannas, within the present domain of the State of New 
'\ ork. Its western boundary mms the mighty Niagara River, a swift- 
tlnwing .strait between two great inland seas, broken midway by a cata- 
ract whi(;h has no etpnil on the earth in power, grandeur, and sublimity.'' 



• Perhaps the first Europian wlio actuiilly saw ilu- Niajraia Kails %va.s Kadicr Ih-niii'- 
jiiii, a missioniiry, who in liis Vni/iii/tii jrivi-s a (Ifsciiptiim ami a ru<U' drawiiiir of the 
irreat woiulcr. Uv cstimatfd their liei;rhl much iricater than it really was. He also 
shows in the jiictures a p<irtion of the stream spoulinfr from below a rock on the(presi-nt) 
Canada shore, far athwart tlie L'reat Horse-shoe Fall. There have lurn many changes 
within a comparatively few years in Ihe aspect of the Falls, owing to undermining and 



A BARBARIAN REPUBLIC. 



3 



Tlie existence of this repuiilic was uukiidwii to the nations beyond tlie 
Atlantic, and unsnspected by them until Cartier sailed ii]) the St. Law- 
rence River ; until Chaniplain penetrated the wilderness of J^orthern 
New York, and Hudson voyaged up the beautiful river that bears his 
name, and touched the eastern border of this marvellous amphictyonic 
league known in history as " The Iroqnois Confederacy." The later" 
history of this league is interwoven with the earlier history of the State 
of New York, and forms an essential part of it. 

The Indian trilics to whom the French gave the name of Irorpiriis in- 
habited the State of New York north and west of the Catskill ^foun- 
tains (the Kaatsbergs) and south of the Adirondack group, a part of 
Northern Pennsylvania, and a por- 
tion of Ohio some distance along 
the sonthern shore of Lake Erie. 
The Ilurons or Wyandots, who 
occupied nearly the whole of Can- 
ada south-west of the Ottawa River 
between Lakes Ontario, Erie, and 
Huron, seemed by their language 
to have been a part of the Inxjuois 
family, and these, with the tribes 
south of the lakes, constituted 
the Huron -L"oquois luition. They 
were completely surrounded liy 
the Algonquins, the most exten- 
sive and powerful of the aborigi- 
nal nations discovered within the 
present boundaries of the United 
States by the Mrst Eurojiean ad- 
venturer. 

The Iroquois Confederacy was originally composed of live related 
families or nations, called, respectively, Mo/uiwbs, Oneidas, Onondagas, 
Cayugas, and Senecas. According to their traditions, they had, in a 
far-back period, l)een confined nnder a mountain at the falls of the 
Oswego River. They were released by Ta-rimga-vm-gon, the Holder of 
the Heavens, and were led by him to the Mohawk Valley. Wandering 
eastward, they came to the Hudson River, and descended it to the sea. 




AX IROQUOIS CHIKKTAIN. 



abrasion by the water. Huge masses of rock have, from time to time, fallen into the 
gulf below. Table Rock, from tlie side of which Hennepin's third stream wa.s pro- 
jected, fell only a few years ago. The writer was upon tlie rnek less than twenty-four 
hours before it fell. 



4 TlIK K.MI'lIti: SIAIK. 

Itotuiniiifr to tlie iiimitli of the Mohawk Itiver, tliey travelled westward, 
su))arated, and seated themselves at various points in tlie country ijetween 
tlic Jhidson River and Lake Erie, in the order in which tliey are above 
named. At tliat time tliere were six families. One of them, tlie 
Tusearoras, soon wandered to the South, and seated tiiemselves on the 
^s\Mlse liivei' in Xnrtii Carolina. The five fann'lies who remained, 
flniii;^li iif tiie same liluod, continually w;ii;eii crnci Mars ai:;aiiist each 
other. 

Tlie lluidcr <>{ tlie Heavens had never ceased iiis yuardianshij) of 
these five nations after their release from their subterranean pri.son. On 
account of the e.xcellence of his character, his wisdom, and his sagaeitv. 
7'>>-r'ii(f-<i-v'(i-f/<M was called by the people Hi-d-ioat-ha — "' the very wise 
man."' Tliey regarded him with profound veneration, and in ail things 
followed liis advice. At length a fierce and ])owerfid tribe of barbarians 
came from the country north of the lakes, fell upon the Onondagas — the 
dwellers among the hills — laid waste their country, slaughtered their 
Women and children, and plunged the Avliole nation into the depths of 
des]>air. Tn their distress they hastened to Jlt-a-Wdi-ha for counsel, 
lie advised them to call together all the tribes in a general council to 
devise means for miirual defence. They agreed to tiie jiroposal. lie 
appointed a ])lace for the assembling of the convention on the bank of 
( himidaga Lnke, and ])romised to meet with them there. 

I'or three days the i-niincil tire had blazed before Ili-a-wat-ha arrived. 
Jle had lieen devoutly praying in silence to the Great Spirit for guid- 
ance. At length he apjiroached in a white canoe, gliding over the waters 
of the lake, aceonipanied liy his darling daughter, twelve years of age. 
Tli(!y were received with joy, and as they landed and walked toward the 
council tire a .sound like a rushing wind w;us heard, and a dark .spot, ever 
increasing in size, was seen descending from the sky. It was an 
immense bird swoojnng down toward the spot where Jli-n-UHif-ha and 
his child stood. Jle was unmoved. The bird fell upon his sweet daughter, 
crushed her into the earth, and perished itself. For three days JH-ii- 
'trat-h(( mourned his ehihl. Then he took his seat in the great council, 
listenci] tn the debates, and said: *' Meet me to-morrow, and I will 
iiiifoid to vdii my ])laii." They did so, when the venerated counsellor 
arose and said : 

" Friends and Urothers : You are members of many trii)es and nations. 
^ ou have come here, iminy of you, a great distance from your hniiies. 
Wc liav(! met for one common purpose — to provide for onr common in- 
terest — and that is to ))rovide for our mutual safety, and how it shah 
ber^t l)e done. To oppose these foes from tlie north by tribes, singly 



TIIK IHiXJlOlS COXFKDEIiACV. 5 

and alone, wmild i)n)vo our certain destruction. AVe can make no pro^--- 
ress in that way. We must unite ourselves into one common hand <it' 
l)rothers. Thus united we may drive the invaders hack. This must he 
done, and we shall he safe. 

'■ You, the Moliawhs, sitting- under the shadow of the ' (rreat Tree." 
whose roots sink deep into the earth, and whose hranches spread over a 
vast country, shall he the first nation, hecause you are warlike and 
mighty. 

'■ And you, OniiiJax, a people wlio recline youi- hoilies against the 
' Everlasting Stone," that cannot l)e moved, shall he tlie second nation, 
hecause you give wise counsel. 

" xVnd you, Onondaga-^, who have your hahitation at the "dreat 
Mountain,' and are overshadowed l)y its crags, shall be the third natiim, 
hecause yon are greatly gifted in speech, and are miglity in war. 

" And you, Cayiigas, wliose habitation is the " Dark Forest," and 
wliose home is everywhere, shall be the fourth nation, because of your 
superior cunning in hunting. 

" And you, Seneca-s, a people who live in the 'Open Country," and 
possess much wisdom, shall be the fiftli nation, because you understaiwl 
better the art of raising corn and beans, and making cabins. 

" You, five great and powerful nations, must unite and have but one 
common interest, and no foe shall be able to disturb or sul)dne ynu. If 
we nnite, the Great Spirit will smile npon us. Rrotliers, these are the 
words of Hi-a-irat-ha ; let them siidv deep into your hearts." 

After reflecting upon the subject for a day, the live nations formeil a 
league, liefore the council was dis]>ersed 7L'-a->':('f-/n' urged the people 
to preserve the union they had fonneil. "" Preserve this,"" he said ; 
" admit no fureign element of pf)wer by the admission of other nations, 
and you will always be free, numerous, and happy. If other triites and 
nations are admitted to your councils tliey will sow the seeds of jealousy 
and discord, and you will l)ecome few, feeble, and enslaved. Remendier 
these words ; they are the last you will hear from IFi-a-witt-hn. The 
Great Master of Breath calls me to go. I have patiently waited his 
sumnums. I am ready to go. Farewell \" 

At that moment myriads of singing voices burst uj)on the ears of the 
multitude, and the wliole air seemed filled with music. lIl-<(-wat-ha, 
seated in his white canoe, rose majestically above the throng, and as all 
eyes g.ized in rapture upon the ascending wise num. he disappeared for- 
ever in the blue vault of heaven. The music melted into low whispers, 
like a soft sunmier breeze. There were ])leasant dreams that night in 
every cai)in and wigwam occupied by the members of the (ireat Comu-il. 



Tin; EMI'lUK STATE. 




and ;ill tlic Five Nations woro iiiadc lia])|)V liy tlu' annmiiiceinent of tlic 
ylail tidinics aiiioii}' thuiu. 

This confedoracy was called Ko-no-sht-oni — the '• cabin-builders'' — the 
'• Long House,'' which extended from tlie Hudson River to Lake Erie. 
The ^[ohawks kept the eiustern door and the Seneciis the western door. 
Tlie (ireat Council Fire, or Federal Capital, w;ui with the Onondagas. 
This inetrojtolis was a few miles south of (present) Syracuse. 

Sncli is the traditionary history of tlio formation of the great L'oquois 
Confederacy. It is, of course, emljellisiied by fancy, but it is un- 
doubtedly correct in every essential particular. \t wjiat time this league 
«'a.* formed cannot lie accurately determined. It was probably not earlier 
than tlie year 154(i. Jacques Cartier, who ascended the St. Lawrence to 

I 

■r<lTK.Mt( sli;,\ATI'l{ICS. 

the site ui Montreal in 1."):!."), showed, by a vocabulary of liulian words 
wliicii he made, that the Iroquois language was spoken there, probably 
by the Ilurons ; but he makes no reference to any Indian confederacy. 

The polity of the Iroquois League was as purely democratic as possible 
in spirit, l>nt it took the representative or republican form for con- 
venience. It was a league for mutual defence, not a political union. 
There was a wide distribution of power and civil organization, which was 
a safeguard against tyranny. Each canton or nation was a distinct re- 
public, independent of all others in relation to its domestic affairs, but 
each was bound t() the others of the league by ties of honor and general 
interest. Each canton had eight i)rincipal sachems, or civil magistrates, 
and several inferior sachems. The whole number of civil magistrates in 
the confederacy amounted to nearly two hundred. There were fifty 
liereditarv sachems. 



THE TOXEMIC SYSTEM. 



Eacli canton or ii.atioii was .sul)divi(led into elans or tribes, each clan 
having a heraldic insignia called tohm. For this insignia one triKe would 
have the figure of a wolf ; another, of 
a bear ; another, of a deer ; another, of 
a tortoise, and so on. By this toteni- 
ic system they maintained a perfect 
tribal union.* After the Europeans 
<'anie the sachem of a trilie athxed his 
totem, in the form of a rude represen- 
tation of the animal that marked his 
tribe, to documents he was required to 
sign, like an ancient monarch affixing 
his seal.f 

Office was the reward of merit 
alone ; malfeasance in office brought 
dismissal and public scorn. All public 
services were compensated only Ijy 
public esteem. The league had a 
president clothed with powers simi- 
lar to those conferred on the Chief Magistrate of the Fnlted States, 
lie had authority to assemble a congress of representatives of the league. 
He had a cabinet of si.x advisers, and in the Granil Council he was 
moderator. There was no coercive j)ower lodged anywhere excepting 
public opinion. 




KKi)i:nAi, Aims OF TirK fivj: satioxs 



'■ The chief totems of the Five X;itious — tlie bf<u\ tlie irolf, the Oetv, the tortoise, auil 
l\\c heaver — were, one of them, tlie disting\iishiug marli of the delegate of each nation 
at the Graud Council or Congress of the Coufedeiatiou, and appeared on his person. 
These constituted the Federal arms of the Confederacy when combined. 

t There were many toteniic symbols besides those named, such as different biixls — the 
eagle, the heron, the turke}', and the plover. 

The signatures on page 6 were cojiied from the originals on documents. Fig. 1 is a 
tortam : Fig. 2 is the signature of King Ilendrick, with his totem, a. deer ; Fig. 3 is a 
potato totem : Fig. 4, an earjlu totem ; Fig. .■). a (r"(/' totem, and Fig. 6, a heiirer totem. 
Many totemic signatures are rudely drawn, while some are ijuite artistic and correct. 

The tortdine. the milf, and the hear were the totems of the three families into which 
each nation was divided. In his stirring metric.-d romance, Froiitetmc, the late Alfred 
B. Street, describing the aggressions and the supremacy of the Iroquois, thus alludes to 
these totemic symbols of a fierce tribe : 

'■ B.v the far Mississiiipi ilie mini chrank 
When the trail of the lortoUt was seen on it.-* hank : 
On the hills of Xe«- Eneland the Pequod turned pale 
When the howl of the H'o//'fvvellwl at nisht on the gale ; 
And the Cherokee ehook in hig ffreen smilini; bowers 
When the foot of the I/tar Ntainp'd his carpet of iloHcr> " 



II 1 1: i;\ii'ii;i; >iwrK. 



Tlie tir.st chosen presiiloiir of rlio lea<;iie w:is tlie vfiiicTahle Ato-far-ho. 
a famous Onoiulaija cliiuf. TIil- Indian traditions invest him witli ex- 
traordinary attriitutos. lie is i-epi'osenti-d as living, at tlie time ho was 
chosen, in grim eeclnsiun in a s\\anii>, wliere liis dislies and drinking-cnps, 
like tliose of tlic old Scandinavian warriors, weiv maih' of tlie skulls of 
his enemies slain in iiatfle. When a delegation of ^fohinvks went tf) offer 
him the syndtol of supreme powt'r, they found Jiiin >itting in calm repose, 
smoking his jiipe, but was iinapproacliai)le because he was (dotlied with 
hissing snakes — the old story of Medusa's tresses. They tinally invested 
liim with a broad belt of wampum as the highest token of authority. 

The nnlitary power donnnated the civil power in the league. The 
military leaders were called chiefs. They derived their authority from 

the people, aTid they sometimes, like the 
Roman soldiers, deposed sachems or civil 
rulers. The army was composed wholly of 
volunteers. Conscription was impossible. 
Every ablc-liodied man was bound to do 
nnlitary iluty, and he who shirked it in- 
curreil everlasting disgrace. The ranks 
weie always full. The war-dances were 
the lecnuting stations. Whatever was done 
in civil councils was subjected to review 
by the soldiery, who had the right to call 
councils when they pleased, and to approve 
or disaj>pi'ove public measures. Kvery im- 
portant measure was undertaken only after 
unanimous consent had been given. 
The matrons formed a third and most powerful ]>ai'ty in the legislature 
of the league. They had a right to sit in the councils, and held and 
exercised the veto powiM- on the subject of a declaration of war. They 
had authority to demand a cessation of hostilities, and they were enn'- 
nently peace-makers. It was no retlectioii u])on the courage of warriors 
if, at the call id' the matrons, they withdrtiw from tlu; war-path. These 
women wielded great intlncnce in the councils of the league, l)Ut they 
modestly delegated the duties of s])eech-making to sume masculine 
orator. With these bai'iiarians woman wms man's coworker in legislation 
— a thing yet uid<nown among civilized peojde. Such was the ])olitv of 
the Iroijuois ( 'onfe<h'iacy when it was discovt'red by Kuro|)eans. •■' 




\l<> TMMIO. 



■^ " .Vs I am fiirciil lulliliik." says Dr. i'nUUn i//i.il'n/j of t/ii Fin Inilinii .\<ili'iiiKi. 
'■ lliat till' iircscnt stall' of lUv Iiiiliii ii Xntion exactly sliows tlu' .\fniit Aiiriint and Orii/iinil 
(''•iiilltl'iii cif aliiKisl cvrrv Nritioti : so I liclicvc lure wr inav. with more ci'rtaiiity, %cc 



I'oWKi; (IF ■niK K1\K \.\Tl(>NS-( IIAMI'I.AIX, 



Tlie ■■ in:ilien;il)le rights of luau" were lield in .sucli reverence by the 
Iroquuis tliat they never made slaves of their fellow-men, not even of 
captives taken in war. By unity they were made powerful ; and to pre- 
vent degeneracy, members of a 
tribe were nut allowed to inter- 
marry with each other. Like the 
RuMuins, they caused tiie expan- 
sion of tlu'ir commonwealth by 
conquests and annexation. Had 
the advent of Europeans in Am- 
erica been postponed a centiii-y, 
the Confederacy might have em- 
braced the whole continent, for 
tiie Five Nations had already ex- 
tended their conquests from the 
great lakes to the (xuif of Mexi- 
co, and were the terror of the 
other nations East and West. 

For a long time the French in 
Canada, who taught the Indians 

the use of tire-arms, maintained a doubtful struggle against them. Cham- 
plain " found the Iroquois at war against the Canada Indians from Lake 




SAMl l;i. ( II \MI"I.AIN. 



tlie Ori(jiiuil Fanits of all Oowrumenta than in the most nrn'ous xpenilationn of tlio 
Leiirucd ; and that the Patriarchal and other Srluiiita in Politicks are no better than 
Iljipothescs in Philoxophy, and as prejudieial to real knowledge." 

The total population of the Confederacy at the advent of llie Eiir(i|ic:ins <li(I not ex- 
ceed probably 13,000. The Senecas «>emed lobe the more numerous. They were found 
to possess many of the better features of civilization. Tliey had framed cabins ; cultivated 
the soil ; manufactured stone implements and pottery ; made i-lothini;' and foot-gear of 
the skins of animals ; fashioned canoes of bark or of logs hollowed by tire and stone 
a.xes. and showed some military skill and acumen in the construction of fortifications. 

* Samuel C'haniplain was an eminent French na\igator, born at Tirouage. France, in 
156" ; .served in the Spanish navy ; was pensioned by his king, ami wa^ induced by J[. de 
Cliastes, Governor of Diep[)e. to explore and prepare the way lur .1 enlony on the bank^ 
of the St. Lawrence River. He was commis-sioned Lieutenaiit-tJcncral of ( 'aii.id.i. ilr 
ascended the St. Lawrence in May. 1603, and landi'd on the site of (Quebec In a subse- 
quent voyage he planted the banner of France at (Juebec — the capital of the dominion. 
In order to gain the friendship of the Indians, he was iialuced to join tliem. with a few 
Frenchmen, in an expedition a,gainst their enemies the Irocpioii. Tliey w<'nt up the Sorel 
River from the St. Lawrence in twenty-four canoes, into the " Lake of the Iroquois. " 
and on its lower western border (July 39th, 1609) had a sharp <'ngagement with llu' foe. 
The arquebuses of the Europeans secured an easy victory. This was the first European 
invtt.sion of the c-ountry of the Iroquois. The light occurred between ("rown I'oinf and 
Lake George, iml i'.ir from Seliroon (Scarron) Lake. Cliamplain gave his name t" the 
larirer l.-ikc. 



1" I'lIK KMI'IUK STATK. 

Huron ti> tlu> (Jiilf f>f St. Lawroiicc. I To foiii,'lit tlieiii on tlie liordei's of 
Luko ('iKiiiiphiiii ill ICiO'.t, and from tliat time- until tiie niiddio of the 
ciMifurv tlicir wars against tlio f'anada Indians and tliuir Frencii alliu's 
weru tierce and distrcssiiiir. 

Tlie Tuscaroras, in Xortli C'arolina, entered into a fonsi)irat'_v witii 
other Indians in 1711 to exterminate the wliite people there. Tliey 
fidl like lightning upon the scattered (lerniau settlements along the 
KoanuUe liiver and Pandico Sound. In one night they slew one hun- 
<lred and thirty persons. With knife and torch they desolated the settle- 
ments ah)ng the shore.s of Albemarle Sound. South (^arolinians speil to 
the rescue of their smitten ncigldiors in 1712, and in the spring of 1713 
the Tuscaroras were driven itito their stronghold, where eight hundred 
<if them were made prisoners. The remainder fled to their kindred — 
the Five Nations — in ,Hmo. and remaining there, formed the sixtli nation 
of the Iroipiois riCagne. 

It was after this union that the m((st important events in the history 
of the league, as connected witii the Kuropean iidial)itants of the 
I'rovinco and State of New York, occurred. As the wars of the leajjue 
with otliei- liarharians, which occurred before the advent of the Euro- 
])cans, liave no Ituariug upon tlic curly ]n"story of Xew York, I will for- 
bear alluding to them. 

I'pon the walls of the (iovernor's liooni, in the City Hall, New 
York, liangs a dingy ])ortrait of a man apparently thirty-tive or forty 
years of age. It was painted, probably, about three hundred years ago. 
His hair is dark and short, and so is his full beard. His forehead is 
broad, and his eyes are expressive of intelligence and good-nature. His 
neck is encircled by an ample "ruff,'" such as men wore late in the 
reign of C^ueen Elizabeth. It is claimed that this is an original picture 
from life of IIenky Hudson,* a famous English navigator, who, in tlie 
service of some London merchants, attempted to make a voyage from 
Great Britain to China and Japan through the jiolar waters north of 
Europe and Asia early in the seventeenth century. lie failed, and was 
afterward employed for the same purpose by the Dutch East India Com- 

* Ilt'luT Hudson was a native of England. l)orn at about tlie middle of the sixteenlli 
century. Of liis early life iiotliiiij; is known. He a|>i)ears to have been an expert Tiavi- 
iiator. and employed, as wo liave observed in the te.xt. by both English and Duteli 
merchants in searching for a norlh-ea.st passage to the East Indies. Failing in this effort, 
he sailed we.stward to Anverica. entered a spacious land-loi-ked bay into which poured the 
water.s of a mighty river, and tip which he .sjiiled one luuidred and sixty miles. His 
name wa.s given to il. as its di.seoverer and fir.st explorer. After various tribulations he 
made a fourth voyage, in Kilt), toward tin- I'olar waters, descendeil the great bay tliat 
bears Ins name, and there jn'rished. 



iirnSoNS VOYAGES AM) DISCOVERIES. 



11 



paiiy. He sailed from tlic Tcxel in ;i yaelit of ninety tons nained the 
Half Moon, with a select crew, in the spring of IfiiiK. He steered foi- 
the coast of Xova Zenibla. On the meridian of Spitzbergen he was con- 
fronted, as before, by impassable ice 
and fogs and tempest, and com- 
pelled to abandon the enterprise. 
Then he resolved to sail in search of 
a nortli-west passage " below Virgi- 
nia," spoken of by his friend Cap- 
tain Smith. He passed the southern 
capes of Greenland, and in July 
made soundings on the banks of 
Newfoundland. Sailing southward, 
he discovered Delaware Bay. He ;. 
voyaged as far as the harljor of ~ 
Charleston, when, disappointed, he 
turned his prow northward, and early 
in September sailed into the beauti- 
ful New York Bay * and anchored. 
Sending men ashore in a boat, they saw- 
colored inhal)itants, some of M'liom fi)ll(>weil them in their canoes on 
their return. 

From his anchorage Hudson saw a broad stream stretching northward. 
In the purple distance appeared the forms of lofty hills, through and 
beyond which the dusky inhabitants who swarmed around his ship in 
canoes told him there was a mighty river which felt the pulsations of 
the tides of the sea. Believing tiiis stream to be a strait flowing between 
oceans, he sailed on Avith joyous hope, not doubting he would be the 




HENRY HTTDSON. 



many aln 



lost naked, cop])ei 



* A claim has been made that .John Vi'i'azzano, a Florentine in the maritime service 
of King Francis I. of France, discovered New York Bay iu 1.534. It is asserted thai he 
traversed the American coast from Cape Fear to latitude 50° N., when lie returned to 
France. The sole authority upon which this claim rests is a letter alleged to have lieen 
written by the navigator to Francis I., in the sinnmer of 1.534. This letter w'as first pub- 
lished at Venice in 1.5.50. No French original is known to exist, nor has there been found 
in the French archives of that period even an tiUusion to such a voyage. Verazzano 
was an adventurer. He was also a corsair, and was captured on the coast of Spain and 
hanged as a pirate at the village of Pico, in November. 153T. There is good reason for 
believing that the alleged letter of Verazzano is a forgery. In it is given a most confused 
account of the " seven hundred leagues of coast " traversed. It is said in it tli.-it a bay 
was discovered, but no data to determine whether it was Delaware. New York, or Narra- 
gansett Bay. It is safe to relegate to the realm of pure tiction such a vague and untrust- 
worthy statement, even if the letter was genuine, as a foumlatiou for a belief that Ver- 
azzano evvr saw New York Bay. 



13 



TIIK KMl'IKK STATK. 



discoverer of tlic loiig-songht north-west passage to tlie Indies. Alas ! ! 
wlicn lie had passed the nionntaiiis the water freshened and the stream 
narrowed. Hope failed hini : l)ut he voyaged on through a land of won- 
dnius hcanty and fertility — " as heautifnl a land as tiic foot of man can 
tread njinn,"" he saiil^a land ])('opled hy vigorous men and hcautiful 
women, wiio <'ame to liis vessel, and abounding witii fur-hearing animals. 
ll('s;iiicil on until lie reaehi^l the head of tide-water, and some of his j 
crew in a small iioat jiassed hy the foaming (iataract of Cohoes at the 
mouth of the ^fohawk Uiver, and went several miles farther. Had 
Hudson penetrated the wilderness a few leagues farther northward he 
might have met ( 'hamplain, who was then exploring the lower borders 
of the '■ J^ake of the Iro<pu>is,"' whieh afterward bore his own name. 




THE II Al.F MOON. 



iliulson retiirucid to his tirst anchorage in the beautiful harbor into 
which it has l)een claimed Verazzano. the Florentine navigator, hail 
sailed more than fourscore years before. He took formal possession ()f 
the country in the name of the States-G<!neral of Holland, sailed out 
ii])oii tli(! ^Vtlantic, and hastened to Eiu'ope to tell his glad tidings to his 
emj)loycrs. He tirst landed in Kiigland, and there told his wonderful 
story. As he was an Knglish siU)ject, King James claimeil the land he 
had iliseovered as a rightful ])ossession of the British crown. It was 
^vithin tlu; bomids of the North Virginia charter which he had granti^l. 
•Vdiled to these considerations was jealousy of the commercial advantages 
the Hollanders might derive from Hudson's discovery. The monarch, 
determined to secure to his erown every political right to the territory 
and every c<>nunereial advantage po.ssible for his subjects, woidd not allow 



INDIAN NAMES OF TIIK IIIDSON lilVEP.. 13 

tlic navigator and his vessel to leave England for a long time ; Imt 
Hudson had sent liis log-book, his charts, and a full account of his 
discoveries to the authorities of tiie Dutch East India Company at Am- 
sterdam. 

These accounts so powerfully excited the cupidity of the Dutch that 
while King James was devising schemes for British political and com- 
mercial advantages, adventurers from Holland had opened a brisk fur 
trade with the Indians on the island of Manhattan. Acting upon the 
princi]ile and the practice of the saying, " Possession is nine points of the 
law."" tiie Dutch, at the mouth of the river discovered by Hudson, kept 
British authoritv and dominion at bav more than fifty vears.* 



* The Indians on the upper portion of the great river discovered by Hudson called it 
Ca-lui-ha-ta-ti'ii ; those of the middle portion. Hhnt-tc-muc, and the Delawares and tlie 
dwellers in its lower portion, M(i-lii-ciii(-ittiick, the " place of the Mohicans." The Dulcli 
niun<>d it the Mniiritiuis. in honor of their jrreat prince. Miiurice. Stadtholder of llic 
Xethi-rlands ; and the English named it ///frf.m;/'» if/iv/' in compliment of its discoverer. 
L'lilil williin a comparatively few years, it was frecjuently called Xnith Rirer. It was so 
designated at an early period to distinguish il fnmi tlir Delaware, which was called the 
So'ith Ricer. 



14 Till-; KMriKi: st.vtk. 



CIIAi'TEU II. 

Tx less tlian tlirec years after liis great (liscovery Iludsoii and liis gallant 
little yacht perisliud. Not permitted to leave England, Hudson entered 
the service of an English company, and in the spring of 161<i he sailed in 
quest of a north-west passage to India. Passing Iceland, he saw Hecla 
flaming. Kounding the southern capes of Greenland, he went through 
Davifi's Strait to the ice-floe beyond, and entered tlic great bay that 
bears his name. There he endured a dreary winter, and at midsummer, 
IGll, his mutinous crew thrust him into a frail and open shallop, with 
his son anil seven others, and cast them adrift to perish in the waste of 
waters. riiili|) Stalfe, the ship's carpenter, olitained leave to share the 
fate of Iiis (•(iiuiuander. The Ifulf Moon sailed to the East Indies in 
the s])ring of Kill, and in ^larch, the next year, she was wrecked and 
lost on the island of Mauritius. 

Hudson's discovery bore abundant fruit iMimediately. Wealthy mer- 
chants of Amsterdam sent a shij) from the Texel laden witii clieap mer- 
chandise suitable for traffic with the Indians for the furs and peltries of 
the beaver, the otter, and the l>ear. As soon as the Half Mfinn returned 
to Xew Amsterdam she, too, was sent on a like errand to Manhattan, 
wliich became the entrepot for the collection and exportation of furs 
gathered by the Indians from the regions of the Delaware and the 
Ilonsatonic rivers, and even from the far-off Mohawk Valley, wiiere 
dwelt the eastern nation of the Iroquois Republic. This was the begin- 
ning of peaceful intercourse lietwccn the Europeans and the dusky Five 
Nations. 

^laiiy private ailventurers were soon engaged in traffic with the 
Indians, and the Ilongcrs, the Pelgraves, and the Van Tweenhnysens, of 
Holland, Avere getting rich on the enormous j)rofits derived from the 
trade.* T'aptains TJe Witt and Ciiristiunsen, I'.lock and Mey were 
becoming famous navigators in coniu'ction with this trade before the 
free cities of Holland had cast a political glance toward the newly-dis- 
covei'ed country. But when its importance became manifest, and King 

* Ilsins Honjrcrs, Paul Pclirnivc, iUid Liimbrccht Twppnliuvst'n. niciclmiils nf .Viiistcr- 
•lam. were the I'lirlitsi Dutili Irailris for furs wiili llic Indians at Manlialtan. In l<il3 
ihpT equipped two vess<'ls, \\\c F'lrliiiu and tlic Tir/ir, for trade alonir llie Iliidson River 
These vessels were conunanded respectively h\ Captains Christiansen ami Hloi-k. 



PLANTING TITK SKKI) OF KMPIRK. ]•> 

James of Clreat Britain l)ei,^aii to growl because the Dutch weri'- 
iiioiiopdliziny the fur trade upon liis chiimed doinain, tlie States-(;eiierul 
I if Ilolhiiid ■■■ seriously considered the matter. 

Within five years after Hudson departed from Manhattan a little seed 
of empire, less promising than that planted by Dido, Cecrops, or 
Romulus, but of far higher destiny, was deposited there. In December, 
1613, Adrien Block, a bold Dutch navigator, was about to sail from 
Manhattan for Amsterdam with a cargo of bear-skins when fire reduced 
liis vessel — the Tiger — to ashes. The small storehouse of the traffickers 
could not afford shelter to Block's crew, and the wigwams of the Indians, 
freely offered, could not shield them from the biting frosts ; so they 
built log-cabins, and from the stately oaks which towered around them 
they constructed another vessel, which they called the Oiiru.si — the 
" Eestless"- — forty-four feet long and eleven feet wide, and of sixteen 
tons Inirden. AVith another cargo of furs the Onruat sailed for Holland 
in the spring of 161-t.+ That little collection of liuts on the site of the 
stately warehouses of Beaver Street, and that little vessel, which was 
launched at the foot of Broadway, composed the fertile little seed of 
empire planted on Manhattan — the tiny l)eginning of the great commer- 
cial metropolis of the Western Hemisphere. 

Doubtful as to the real disposition of the Indians around them, the 
Dutch seem to have palisaded their storehouses at the southern end of 
Manhattan Island for a defence if necessary. In l(il4 ('aptain Chris- 
tiansen, who had made ten voyages to Manhattan Island, sailed up the 
Mauritius (now the Hudson River), and on an island a little below the 
site of Albany he erected a fortified trading-house, and called it Fort 
Nassau. This was on the l>orders of the Inxpiois Hepublic. Tlie islet 
was afterward called Castle Island. 

Meanwhile the several United Provinces of the Netherlands had peti- 
tioned the States-General or Congress of Holland to pass an ordinance 
securing a monopoly of the trade with the Indians on the Mauritius for 
a limited time to Dutch adventurers who might undertake the business. 
This was done in the spring of lOl-t. 

Merchants of Amsterdam and Ilooru formed a company, and at the 



* The niiiiic iiiven to the Parliaiiient oi- Congress of the United Provinces of Holland. 

f Block, the lirst shipbuilder on :Manliatt;m Island, sailed up the East River into Long 
Island Sound ; discovered the Connecticut River : explored the New England eoiists 
ea.stward ; entered and explored Narragansett Bay ; sailed to Martha's A'ineyard and 
Cai)e Cod, and at the latter place left the ()iini.st. and proceeded to Holland in a vessel 
coninianded by Captain Christiansen. He was afterward scut in conunand of some ves- 
sels employed in the whale-tishery near Siutzbergen, iu ItSl"). 



lU 



Tin: i.MiMKi; siati; 



iiiidillo of -\\ij^usr, lt;i4, ilic-v seiita (li'|)uiMiii>ii inilio Dutcli c-onrt at the 
Hague tn olitaiii acliarter of special jin'vi leges [jroniised liy the oriliiiance. 
Before an oval table in tlic I>iiiiienliuf, a room in the aiieieiit jialace of 
the Counts of Holland, tiie cliief representative of tiie niercliaiits, Cap- 
tain Ilendi-ieksen, stood and f])read hefore tlieir High Migiitinesses. the 
members of the States-General, twelve in ninnber, a '' figurative map'" 
of their discoveries in the AVestcrn Hemisphere. He gave details of the 
adventures of the iiavigatois and traders, their expense^ and losses. 




^i}y^ 



TIIK IlINNKMIOK 
(Tlie PiilHoi' of Ihf C'dHllls of Ilnllailil at llir Hut''"-'*). 



The leading repre-sentative of the State, before mIiomi liendricksen 
pleaded, was the famous .Tulni \\\\\ Olden r)arneveldt,+ the Advocate of 
Holland. 



- For four liiiiidrcd years tlic {'(iiinls of llollaiul made llu'ir residence at the lla^;ue. 
There yet stands a stra;r.irlin<: ])ile of Imildiniis snrnmndinir ii vast ([uadranirle on one 
side of which is llie Binnerihof. the palaee of tile Counts of llollanil for many irenera- 
tions. There, in a spacious hall, the States-General constantly held their ordinary 
meetinirs. 

+ Barnevcldt was a most lilieral :ind enliirliteiied statesman of Holland, and one of tlic 
most loyal of citi/.ens. He wa.s iR-rseciUed by jioliticid and reli^rioiis fanaticism, and tin- 
spite of Prince Maurice, the Stadlholder. and was finally beheaded in front of the Tiinneii- 
liof on May ISMh, IGlit, condemiwd on a false cliarLjc of treason. 



CHAUTEK OF NEW NETHERLAND. 



17 




CHAM PLAIN S ATTACK ON THE INDIAN FOKT.* 

(From a i)riDt iu a narraiivu of his voyages.) 

A charter was granted to the merchants on Octoher lith, 1014, wliieli 
defined tlie region wherein they were permitted to operate as " between 
the fortieth and forty-fifth degree" of north latitude — between the par- 
allels of Cape May and Xova Scotia. In that document the name of New 
Netheklaxd was given to the domain lying "' between Virginia and 
Kew France." Notwithstanding this domain was included in the royal 
grant to the Plymouth Company of England, no settlement had been 
made by the English above Richmond, iu Virginia, and no formal terri- 
torial jurisdiction had been claimed by them ; and the Dutch were not 
disturbed in their traffic or political jurisdiction for a long time. 

Tiie Dutch on Manhattan Island and at Fort Xassau were continually 
exploring the neighboring regions and assiduously cultivating the friend- 



* The fort was really the fortified " walls" that enclosed an Iroquois village. It was 
composed of quadruple palisades of large timber, thirty feet high. " interlocked the one 
with tlie other." wrote C'hamplaiu. " with an interval of not more than half a foot between 
them, with galleries in the form of parapets, defended by double pieces of timber, proof 
against our arquebuses, and on one side they had a pond with a never-failing supply of 
water, from which proceeded a number of gutters which they had laid along the interme- 
diate space, throwing the water without, and rendering it effectual inside, for the purjxise 
of extinguishing fire." The galleries were well supplied with stones which the garrison 
hiivled upon their enemies. An attempt was made to set fire to the fort, but failed. 
Tile assailants constructed movable towers of timber to overlook tlie parallels, iu which 
to plai-c fuur or live anpU'busiers. See ne.\t page. 



18 TllK HMI'lUK STATK. 

Klii|) of tliu liarhariaiis arrmiid tliem, wliilo tlio Frciicli in Canada were 
arousiiiir the liostility of tlic Iroijuoi.s l)y joining tliuir I'lioniies in making 
war n[)oii tljoiii. Tliis was done to secure tlie friendshij) of tlie Canadian 
Indians. 

Ill tlie early autumn of 1<!1,") Samuel ( luuiiplMiii (already noticed), 
tlien at Montreal, with ten Frenclinien carrying fire-arms, joined tlie 
Ilurons and Adirnndacks in an expedition against the Iro([uois. They 
went up the St. Lawrence to Lake Ontario, landed on its south-eastern 
shore, and moving south-westward, jienetrated the country to Lakes 
Oneida and ( )nondaga. There they attacked a stronghold of the Iroquois, 
and after a severe struggle for four hours, the invaders were repulsed, 
and finally retreated. During the tight Champlain was twice Monniled, 
ami, iinahle to walk, was carried on a frame of wicker-work, lie was 
eoiiipcllud to pass tiie M'inter in the Huron country north of Lake 
Ontario, and did not return to ]\[outrcal until ^fay, I•il•^ where he was 
received with joy as one risen from the dead. 

The Indians who immediately surrounded the Dutrh on ^lanhattan 
M"ere the ]\Ietowacks on Long Island, the ^fonatons on Stateii Island, 
the Karitans and Ilackensacks on the New Jersey shore, and the 
AVeck(piaesgeeks heyond the Harlem I!ivei\ The ]\Ianliattaiis occupied 
the island that bears their name. 

Ill ItlUi Captain Ilendricksen sailed from ^laiihattan in the little 
Jiesih'fis built by Block, on an ex])loring voyage. He entered Delaware 
Bay, which IIud.son had discovered seven years before, and explored the 
adjoining coasts and the river above as far as the rapids at Trenton. He 
was charmed with the beauty and evident fertility of the country around 
these waters. On the site of Philadelphia (which was founded sixty-six 
years afterward) he ransomed three cajitive Dutchmen. On his return 
to Manhattan this first European explorer of Delaware Bay and River 
proceeded to Holland to assist his employers in obtaining a separate 
charter which would give them the inono]>oly of trade with the inhab- 
itants of the newly-discovered territory. 

Again the energetic Captain Ilendricksen appeared before their High 
Mightinesses in the Biniicnhof, displayed his maps and arguments, and 
gave a glowing account of his discoveries. Doubtful of their right to 
any territorial jurisdiction below the fortieth degree, the 8tates-(teneral, 
after due deliberation, decided to postpone the matter " indefinitely.'' 

The floods of the Mohawk River sweeping in fury down the Mauritius 
with their' heavy burden of lloating ice coiiip(;lleil the Dutch to alundon 
Fort Xas.sau, on Castle Island, in the spring of 1(117. The island w;is 
submerged, and the fort was almost demolished. A new one was built 



TREATY WlTir INDIANS. 



19 



on the main at tlie inontli i.if tlie Tawasciitlui Crock (now Xoriiian's Kill), 
aiul there soon afterward the lirst formal treaty of alliance between tlie 
Dutch and the Iroquois Confederacy was consummated. It was renewed 
in 1645, and in 1664 a new league of friendship with the barbarians was 
formed by the English. This remained inviolate until the kindling of 
the old war for American indej^endence in 1775. 

At the great council at Tawa.sentha other powerful triljes were repre- 
sented, but the supremacy of the Five [Nations was affirmed and acknowl- 
edged by the others, even with tokens of great humiliation. "When the 
long belt of peace and alliance was held ]>y the Dutch at one end and by 
the Iroquois at the other cud, the middle portion rested upon the 
shoulders of the Mohi- 
cans (iMohegans) and 
the Minsees, and also 
upon the shoulders of 
the Lemii-Lenapes as 
a " nation of women."' 
So the Hollanders wisely and 
righteously acquired the friend- 
ship of these " Romans of the 
AVest." 

Success bad attended the Dutch in 
Xew Netlierland from the beginning, 
and wise men in Holland were beginning 
to projjhesy that a flourishing Belgic 

Empire would arise beyond the Atlantic. Speculations concerning 
the bright future of Holland were everywhere indulged in. The 
sovereignty of the United Provinces had lately been recognized, and the 
Netherlands now ranked among the leadin": nations of the eartli. For 
fully twoscore years political and religious toleration Jiad prevailed in 
the Low Countries, as Holland was called. There was no otticial 
restraint upon conscience. Holland had become an asylum for the per- 
secuted in all laiuls — of the active thinkers and workers who had been 
comj^elled to seek a refuge somewhere for conscience' sake. The world 




A WAMPDM BELT.* 



* Wampum T>as the currency of the Indians, especially of tliose who lived in tlie rearion 
of the. sea. It was made of portions of the common clam shell in the form of cylindrical 
beads, white .■uid Ijhiish black. Each color had a distinct and Hxed value. They were 
slrvuijr in littU' chains, or fastened upon deer-skin belts, often in alternate layers of white 
and black. As currency their value wa.s estimated at about two cents of our coins for 
three black beads, or si.\ of white beads. A fathom in len,!rth and three inches in 
width of white wampum was valued at about $2.r)0, and a fathom of blue black, at 
about 3.J. 



20 



THE K.MI'IUK STATE. 



of l)i^'()ts outside sncfrod. Ainstonluiii was pointed at as a " eoiniuoii liar- 
borof all opinions and all horesies. '" Jlolland was stigmatized as a " cage 
of unclean birds," where "all strange religions flock together," and an 
Englisli poet wrote of Ainsterdani, 



Tlic Univi-rsal t'lmnli U (Uilv tln-rc. ' 



Occasionally, Imwevor, the old .-pirit of intolerance would ta-oj) out 
and aets of violence would be performed wiien political ambition, dis- 




i^:-- 



COSTU>n:s of Tin-: Hollanders. 1G30. 



gui.sed under the form of religious controversy, actuated the authorities 
of State, as in liU'.t, when Grotius, the eminent scholar, was condemned 
to ini]>risomncnt for life, and the venerable patriot, John Van Olden 
liarneveldt, was doomed to decapitation. It was at this juncture that 
schemes for the establishment of a colony of families in New Netherland 
began to bo contemplated. I'^xcellent materials for such a colony were 
then abundant in Holland, and the political and social condition of the 



CONDITION OF HOLLAND. 



•.'I 



Low Countries favored such an enter]irise. The feudal system tliere 
liad begun to decay. Industry was made honorable. In the new era 
wliicli had gradually dawned on the Netherlands the owner of the soil 
was no longer the head of a band of armed depredators who were his 
dependents, but the careful proprietor of broad acres, and devoted to 
industry and thrift. The nol)lcs, avIio composed the landlord class, grad- 
ually came down fi'om the stilts of exclnsiveness, and in habits, and even 
in costume, imitated the working people in a degree. The latter 
liecame elevateil in the social scale : their rights were respected, and 
their relative value in the State was dn\y estimated. Ceaseless toil in 
Holland was necessary to preserve the hollow land from the invasion of 








m'Tni WEST INDIA COMl'ANY S IIOUSK. 



the sea, and the frimmou needs assimilated all classes in a country where 
all must Work or drown. 

Stimulated by the glowing accounts of the country and climate in the 
region of Amei'ica watered by the Mauritius, and satisfied with the scant 
liberty accorded them by the Dutch (Tovei'iimcnt, tlie Englisli Puritan 
congregation of the Tiev. John Tlobinson, then at Leyden, earnestly 
desired to emigrate to New Xethei'land. They proposed this enterprise 
to the Associated Merchants in 1018, whose charter of jjrivileges had 
just expired, ^[r. Tlobinson proposed to form a colon}' at ^lanbattan 



22 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



iukIlt ■■ the Priiice ut' <_)raiige ;iiid tlioir IIij;li and Miglitj Lords, tlie 
States- General. " 

Tlie Association of ^[ercliants eagerly listened to TioI)inson's proposal. 
They offered to transport his whole congregation to Manhattan free of 
cost, and to furnish each family with cattle. They petitioned the Prince ' 
of Orange to sanction the scheme. ^Maurice referred the matter to the 
States-General. That body had a more amhitious scheme in contem- 
plation. Xcarly thirty years before, tiiewise Usselincx had suggested the 
formation of a Dutch West India Company. The project was now- 
revived, and the States-General authorized tiie organization of such a 
company — a grand commercial numopoly. A charter was granted on 
June 3d, 1621. Colonization was neither the motive nor the main 
object of the establishment of the Dutch AVest 
India Company. The grand idea was the promo- 
tion <if trade. That was an age of great monopn- 
lies, and tiie Diitcli West India Company was one 
of tlie greatest monopolies of the time. It was 
ini-iirporated for twenty-four years, witii a pledge j 
uf a renewal of its charter ; and it became the 
sovereign of the central portion of the original 
I'nited States of America. It M-as vested with the 
exclusive jirivilege to traffic and plant colonies on 
the coast of Africa from the Ti'opic of Cancer to 
the Cape of Good Hope, and on the coasts of 
America from the Strait of ^Nfagellan to tlie remotest ; 
north. It ])r'.ivided that none of the inhal)itants of 
the United Provinces of the Netherlands siiould be 
permitted to sail thence to the coasts of Africa 
between the points specified, nor to the coasts of 
America or the West Indies between Newfoundland and CajJe Horn, 
upon pain of a forfeiture of ships and cargoes. 

This great monopoly was vested with enormous powers and immense 
franchises that it might act with independence. It might conipier prov- 
inces at its own risk, hoist its flag of red, M-hite, and blue over for- 
tresses, and make contracts and alliances witii ])riiices and otlier ru'lers 
within the limits of its charter. It might build forts ; appoint and dis- 
charge governors and other officers and soldiers ; administer justice and 
regulate commerce. 

The States-General gave to the company a million guilders ($380,- 
000), and becariie stockholders to the same amount. They agreed 
to defend the company against every j>erson, in free navigation and 




miVII WEST INDIA 

company's fi,\(;. 



r 



THE DUTC'ir WEST INDIA COMPANY. 23 

trafHc, l)ut not any specified territory. Tliey also agreed, in case of war, 
to assist the company by furnishing sixteen war-ships of three luindred 
tons burden and four yachts of eighty tons, all fully equipped. The 
vessels were to be manned and supDorted by the company. The whole 
Heet was to be under an admiral appointed by the States-General. In 
war the latter was to lie known oidy as allies and patrons. 

The company had five separate chamljers of management, one in each 
of five principal cities in the Xetherlands. The general executive 
])Owers were vested in nineteen delegates, entitled The College of Aine- 
ieeu. In this college the States-General had one representative. The 
special charge of NewNetherland was entrusted to the branch at Aiuster- 
dam.'" Thus the Government gave to a new mercantile corporation 
almost unlimited powers to subdue, colonize, and govern the unoccupied 
regions of Africa and America. The company was not finally organized 
until June, lf)2?>. On the 21st of that month its books of subscription 
were closed, and the company began to prosecute their j^urposes Mith 
energ\\ 

Although the Dutch West India Company was primarily a commercial 
corporation, its first grand effort was the planting of a colony in New 
Netherland. Good policy dictated this step. In the summer of 1619 
an English vessel sent by the Plymouth Company on a voyage of dis- 
covery, attempting to pass the dangerous eddies at Hell Gate,t lost its 
anchor, and was carried by the strong currents of the East River far into 
the l)road bay at Manhattan. Her commander (Captain Dermer) did 
not stop to parley with the Dutch traffickers, who saluted him, but sailed 
on to Yirginia. On his return he stopped at Manhattan and warned the 
Dutch traders to leave " His Majesty's domain" as quickly as possible. 

'• We found no English liere, and liope we have not offended," said 
the good-natured Dutchmen, and went on smoking their pipes, planting 
their gardens, catching beavers and otters, and buying furs and peltries 
of the Indians as complacently as if they had never heard of his 
English Majesty. 

Dermer's report of what he saw at Maidiattan aroused the slumbering 
energies of the English, and especially of the Plymouth Company, char- 

* The most active mciiilKTs of the .Vmsterdam Chamber were .Jonas Witseii, Ilendrick 
Ilamel, Samuel Godyn, Samuel Blonmiaert, .John de Laet (the historian), Killian van 
I{eusselacr, Michael Pauw, and Peter Evertsen Uvdt. 

t Formerly a dangerous passage at the entrance to the East Kivcr from I..oug Island 
Sound, made so by a whirlpool caused by a sunken reef of rocks at certain times of the 
tide. The danger has been removed by the action of exploded nitro-glycerine applied 
by a Government engineer. The early Dutch navigators gave it the name of " Ilelle 
(iat." 



24 THE EMPim-: statk. 

turi'd In' Kin^ .lnuics in l«i(M;. 'I'lioy liuil laadc feolilc attempts to j)laiit 
colonios on tliu shores of tlie vast wildoriiess now known as New V.Uis- 
land. Tn 1<11+ tlie famous .Tolm Sniitli, the real founder of Yirj^inia, 
f\])l(invl its coasts and prineipal rivers, and gave it tlie name wldeli 
it bears. Jle attemjited to plant a eolony tliere under the auspices of 
tlie eonipauy, hut failed. At length (Ifi'Jit) the company obtained a new 
charter (under the name of Council of Plymouth), which extended the 
limits of their domain to the forty -eighth degree of latitude. The com- 
pany immediately put forth energetic efforts to establish a colony there. 

Pastor Tiobinson's congregation in Holland were still eager to emigrate 
to America. Tiiey obtained a patent from the Virginia Company to 
settle in the unoccuiiied region in the " northern part of Virginia."' 
which extended to the fortieth degree of latitude. They forme<l a 
partnership with T,oiidou capitalists, and late in Itii'n one hundred ami 
one men, women, and cliildreu of the congregation — pioneers — crosseil 
the stormy ,\tlantic in tin; little M<i ij-floirfir, intending to land on the 
coasts of Delaware or Maryland. P>y accident or by the; jirovidciu-e of 
ftod they reached the continent on the .shores of Cape Cod Bay. Find- 
ing themselves far noi'th of the region designated in their charter, the 
])rinci[)al I'niigrants drew up and signed a democratic constitution, in tin- 
cabin of the 2l(ii/fiiiri r. for their government, and chose a governor, 
their spiritual head being Elder William P>rewster. These " Pilgrims.' 
as they called themselves, landed in the deep smiw on the bleak coast of 
Massachusetts late in December, and at a spot M-hich they named Ne\\' 
IMymouth they built a little village of log-huts and ]ai<l the foundations 
of a State. 

This signiticant movement admonished the Dutch that the English 
were preparing to dispute the right of the Hollanders to a foothoM 
Avithin the domain embraced in the charter of the I'lymouth Company. 
Indeed, at this juncture the British Privy Council had instructed Sir 
Dudley Carletoii, the British and)as.sador at the Hague, to peremjitorily 
demand of the States-(Jeneral an immediate prohibition of any further 
2)roseeution of commercial entcrprisi's or settlements by the I)utc]i within 
the region claimed by the Englisli. Tt was done. The States-( General 
having put the whole matter under the (H)ntrol of the then just chartered 
Dutch West India ('ompany, paid very little attention to the dioiiand, 
or to the bluster of the liritish monarch and his andia-ssador. Jiut the 
company, for obvious reasons, took immediate measures for ])lanting a 
colony and laying the foundations of a State at ^lanliattan. 

Like the PIvtnouth Com]iany, the Dutch AVest India Cnmiiany found 
in Holland excellent and am]>le materials for a colony. Thousands of 



EMKiUATIoN TO XEW NP:TIIERLANr). 



Protestant refugees of Freneli extraction, known as Walloons, luul fled 
from tiery persecution in the southern lielgic pro^■inces bordering on 
France, and had taken refuge in Holland. They were mostly skilled 
artisans and industrious agri- 
culturists. Like tiie English 
Puritans in lli>lland, they 
were animated liy a strong 
desire to go to America. Tliey 
asked the Plymouth (Joni- 
paiiy for permission to settle 
in Virginia. It was denied. 
They asked the Dutch West 
India Company for a similar 
privilege. The Amsterdam 
Chamber of the company 
gladly complied, and in the 
spring of 1(123 they equipped 
the Xew JTet/u'iiand, of two 
liundred and sixty tons Ijur- 
den, connnan<le(( liy Captain 
Adriaen Joris, and sent her to 
Manliattan, bearing thirty 
Walloon families numbering 
one hundred and ten men, 
women, and chihlren.* She 
arrived at !Maidiattan at the 

beginning of ^lay. The superintendence of the expedition was intrusted 
to Captain Cornells Jacobsen ]VLiy,+ of Iloorn, who was to remain in 
New Netherland as the first director of the colony. Captain Joris went 
out as his lieutenant in the nianatremeut of tlie colonv. 




NEW NKTHERI.ASD. 



* Tlie Walloons (Flemi.Ji, Tuulcii) were of a mixed Gallic and Teutonic blood, 
and most of them spoke the old Teutonic tongue. They inhabited the southern Belgic 
provinces and adjoininj; parts of France. When the northern provinces of the Nether- 
lands formed their political union, at Utrecht, in lo79, the southern provinces, whose in- 
habitants were chiefly Roman Catholics, declined to join the Confederatiou. Many of 
llic jieople were I'roteslauts. and a.irainst these the Spanish Government at once bejian the 
must cruel ]iersecutions. Thousands of them fled to Holland, and were welcomed and 
prcili'Cted. Xl the lime of their dispersion (l.WO), the Walloons numbered over 2.000,01)0. 

t -May was an active naviiator and explorer. He went u]) the .Tames River as far as 
.Tainestown, and penetrated other .streams on the coast .simth of ^Fanhattan. The .>;outhern 
<iiast of New .Jersey was named in his honor, and slid retains the title of C'a|ie May. 
He was the first director or jrovernor of New Netherland. 



2C TllK KMl'lKK STATE. 

A FroiU'li vessel liad just entered ]\[;\iiliiittiiii liiirlxjr, anrl lier captain 
insisted upon setting up the Freneli arms and taking ])ossession of the 
country in tlie name of liis sovereign beeause it was claimed that Veraz- 
zano, in the employment of a French monarch, had entered the harlmr a 
century before. Now was presented the spectacle of three European 
nations claiming the owner8hi[) of an undefined territory in a wilderness 
more than three thousand miles from their respective capitals, on tlic 
plea of " first discovery" — the robber's right conferred by the mailed 
hands of power. The Dutch, having possession — the " nine points of 
tlie law" — held on. The Frenchman was driven out to sea by two 
cannons on the little yacht Jfai-ken/, and the F.nglish were defied. 

The colonists Mere soon dispersed and settled in permanent liomes. 
Captain Joris, with eighteen families, sailed up the Mauritius as far as 
the site of Albany, where a fort Mas constructed and Tiamed Orange in 
honor of tiieir ]>rince. Ife left a few settlers at Esopus, now Kingston. 
The colonists built huts, " put in tiie spiide," and began farming vigor- 
ously near Fort Orange. Representatives of Indian tribes came and made 
" covenants of friendship" with Joris. F'our couples of the emigrants, 
■with eight seamen, went to the Delaware River and settled on the left 
bank four miles beloM- the site of Piiiladelphia, M'here Fort Nassau w;xs 
built. Tm'o families and six men M'ere sent to the Connecticut River to 
build a fort (which M'as named Good Hope) near the site of Hartford, 
and to take formal possession of the country by virtue of Block's dis- 
covery of that streani in lfil4-. The remainder of these pioneer colonists 
settled on the site of Urooklyn.'-' Other emigrants from Holland soon 
joined them, and near the site of the Navy Yard at Brooklyn, Sarah 
Rapelye, the first child of European lilood born in the province of Xcm' 
Netherland, inhaled her first Ifreath. 

In l*'i2-t a .'-hadow of civil government for the Dutch (colony M-as 
j)rovi(led by the installation of Captain Cornclis Jacobsen ^fay as fii-st 
director of New Netherland. He ruled as an autocrat Misely for altout 
a year, M'hen he M'as succeeded by Williiim Yerhulst as second, director 
of NcM' Xetherland. Yerhulst also ruled M'isely one year. 

Meanwhile events in Europe M"ere strengthening the j)osition of Hol- 
land and promising increased prosperity to the Dutch West India Com- 
])aiiy. The foreign relations of Oreat Britain had become so critical that 
King James found it expedient to form an alliance M^itli the Netherlands 
in 1G24, and he and his Privy Council wisely concluded that it M-ould be 

* Brooklyn is a corruption of its original Dutch apfiellation, Breuckclen — English 
Brookland or " inars!i\ land" — a pretty village about eighteen miles from .Vmsterdam, 
on the road to Utrecht. 



I 



PURCHASE OF MAN If ATT AX ISLAND. 



27 




SIGNATURE OF PETER MINI IT. 

foniicil of five persons, u " koo[) man"" oi' 
was also secretary of tlie pi'oviuce, ami a 



impolitic to ofifend the powerful conuiiereial coiiipanv In* acting as cham- 
pions of the Council of Plymouth when they complained of aggressions 
upon their chartered rights. Encouraged by these circumstances, the 
company proceeded to strengthen the political, social, and commercial 
powers of the new colony by sending more families and also needed 
su])plies of stock and implements of labor. They commissioned Peter 
Minuit, of Weser, 
one of their number, . 

director-general, or ^(JgjCit 
governor of Kew U 
Netherland,and gave 
him as assistants in 
his civil administration a 
commissary-general, who 
'" sellout" or pulilic pnicurator and sheriff.* 

Minuit arrived in May, 1(')2(), in the ship Sea Jf'w, commanded by 
Captain Joris, and began his administration witli vigor. He and his 
council were invested with legislative, judicial, and executive pDwer, 
subject to the supervision and appellate jurisdiction of the Chamlter at 
Amsterdam. They had power to fine and imprison erimiual.s, but in 
cases where capital punishment was the penalty of a crime the cul^irit 

was to be sent to Amsterdam. 

Hitherto the Dutch had possession 
of Manhattan Island only by the 
dubious right of first discovery and 
occupation. Minuit ])rocccded to 
place the right upon th6 sure founda- 
tion of justice. He called together 
the representatives of the barbarians 
of the island, and made a treaty for 
the purchase of the domain from them 
which was mutually satisfactory. It 
was a treaty as honorable, as impor- 
tant, and as noteworthy as was the 
famous alleged treaty between William 
Penn and the Indians beyond the Delaware under the broad Shaekamaxon 
Elm which has been immortalized by history, painting, and poetry. The 
])rice paid by the Hollanders for the territory, estimated at twenty-two 

* The members of the first council were Peter Byveldt, Jacob Elvertsen "Wissinck, Jan 
Janssen Bronwer, Simon Dircksen Pes, and Reynert Harmen.ssen. Isaac de Rassieres 
was tlie commissary and secretary, and Jau Lampo was tlie schout or slieriff. 




SEAT, OP NEW NETHERLAND. 



■•iiS Tin: i;mi'1I{i; statk. 

tliuusaiul aercs in extent, was nut extravagant — al)ont twenty-four 
ilollars. rs'early all of tlic island is now covered liy Imildiiiiis, parks, or 
streets. 

The territory ealled Kcw Ketlierland was created a province or connty 
of Holland, and the armorial distinction of an earl or count Mas granted. 
Tile seal of New Netlierhmd liore an escutcheon on which was the tigure 
of a beaver, euilileinatic of the chief wild animal j)ro(]nct of tiie I'egion, 
and the crest was the cor(Hiet of an earl. The organization of a provi- 
sional civil government, the purchase of territory, and the erection of 
New Xetherland int( . a pi'ovince of Holland, in 1626, is justly regarded 
a.s the jieriod of the germination of the fruitful seed which has 
expanded into the miglity Empire State of New York. 



SKTTI>EI{S OX MAXIIATTAX ISLAND. 29 



CIFAPTEFi TIL 

So soon as tlie pnreliasc of Manhattan was effected, Director ]\Iinnii 
caused a redonl)t to be built at tlie southern extremity of tiic ishuid 
near the site of the modern Battery and the Bowhng (i-reen. It was 
quadrangular iu form, was constructed of earth faced with stone, and 
was surrounded witli strong palisades of cedar. This redoubt was upon 
an elevation, and commanded the waters of the bay in front and of 
the Hudson (^Mauritius) and East rivers on its lianks. The work was 
completed in 1<)27, and was named Fort Amsterdam. The village that 
grew nY> near it was called Manhattan until Stuyvesant came, in 1047, 
when it was named Xew Amsterdam. 

Each settler on Manhattan owned the rude house in which he lived. 
It was his inviolable castle. lie kejit cows, tilled the soil, traded with 
the Indians, and deposited his fnrs in the trading-house, which was built 
of stone and thatched with reeds. This'M'as the eniljryo of the vast 
warehouses of the city of j^ew York. There were no idlers. All were 
jiroducers as well as consumers. In the year iu which the fort ^\-as com- 
]ileted turs of the value of nearly $2i »,()()() were sent from Manhattan to 
Amsterdam. Tlie settlers were at jieace witli all their dusky neighbors, 
and the future of the colony seemed dazzling to the seers. 

lint a bright morning is not always a sure harbinger of a pleasant day. 
While the fort was a-building an event occurred M'hich became the jjro- 
genitor of nuiny fearful scenes, and of injuries to the colony. One morn- 
ing a chief from beyond the Harlem River, accompanied l)y his little 
nephew and a young warrior, was sauntering with a bundle of beaver 
skins along the shores of the little lake whose waters once sparkled in 
the hollow where the Halls of Justice (the Tombs), in the city of New 
York, now stand. Three of the director's farm servants robbed them 
and murdered the chief. His nephew fled to the thick woods that 
bordered the East River and escaped. The lad left behind him a curse 
ujion the white man, and solemnly vowed vengeance when mature man- 
hood should give him strength. We shall observe hereafter how that 
vow was fultilled. The surrounding barbarians were made jealous, 
suspicious, and vengeful. 

Trouble now appeared beyond the mountains in the north. Daniel 
van Krieckenbeeck had been made deputy-commissary and commander 



30 TllK E.Ml'IHK STATK. 

:it Fort Oniiii:;t' (MOW All)!iny\ and in:iii:i<;oil pniilrntly and siu'cessfully 
until lie was induced to take a foolish step. The Mohicans had a stock- 
aded villaj^e on the opposite side of the river {uow Eiist Albany). 
Enmity had suddenly appeared between them and the Mohawks. The 
Mohicans crossed the I'iver and asked the Dutch commander to join 
them in a foray upon the Mohawks. lie unwisely iissented, and with 
six of his men marched ■with his dusky allies into the pine woods, where 
they were terribly smitten and dispersed by a band of Mohawks. Kricck- 
enbecck and three of his men were slain. Distrust of the Dutch by the 
Iiiiliaiis ill all that region ensued. The Dutch families fled for safety to 
Manhattan from Fort Orange. Only a small garrison, without \vomen, 
remained. At the same time indications of an unfi'iendly feeling toward 
th(^ llolliiiiders among the Jlaritans in ^ew Jersey caused the Dutch 
families seated on the kft bank of the Delaware Tli\er also to tlee to 
Manhattan for safety. These unfortunate events severed the links of 
trustful friend; hi]i which had boiin.l the Dutch and Indians, and many 
distressing scenes followed the rupture. Emigration to New Netherland 
was checked for a while, and the tide of its prosperity, seemed to be 
ebbing. 

^leanwhile the Dutch West India (,'ompany had been gaining great 
accessions of wealth and power by the success of their war-ships against 
Spanish merchantmen. Spain was then at war with Holland. The 
fleets of the two India conqianies which indirectly governed the State, 
formed the strong right arm of the Dutch naval power at that time. In 
1(>'27 low-born Peter Pietersen Ileyn won the title and ofilcial posititm 
of admiral by his achievements on the coast of Cuba. There he met 
the S]>anish " silver fleet" on its way from Yucatan with the spoils of 
plimdercd princes of ^lexico and Peru. He captured the whole flotilla, 
and ]>ut almost S."(,n(Mi,(i( mi in the coffers of his employers. llcyii ]ier- 
islied soon after this victory, and was buried with regal jiomp by the 
side of the Prince of (Jrange (who died in \(>2^)\ in the old church at 
Delft. When the States-General sent a letter of cDndoleiu-e to IJeyn's 
j)easant mother, she exclaimed : 

" Ay, T thiiuglit that wouhl be the end of him. He was always a 
vagabond. lie has got no more than he deserved."' 

Holland gained the glory of the coiKjuests by the ])uteh West India 
Company, while the company itself gained the solid juolits. In the 
space of two years their ships captured luore than one hundred prizes. 
In KitiO the company divided fifty per cent profits. They soon a<lded 
Brazil to their possessions, and gave maritime supremacy to the Nether- 
lands. 



THE PATROOX SYSTEM. 31 

Wealtli niid ]iov\'er made tlie Dutch West India Company more grasp- 
in"' and aniliitious. The moderate protits derived from New Nether- 
land appeared insignificant, and tliey devised new schemes for increas- 
ing their gains. 

Tiie great want of New Netherland was tillers of the soil. A manorial 
plan similar ti> that already in operation in Holland was devised, and this 
featnre of the old feudal system of Europe was soon transplanted into 
America. It was approved by the States-General. In li>29 the College 
of Nineteen issued a " Charter of Privileges and Exemptions," which 
granted to every member of the company extensive domains in New 
Netherland outside of Manhattan Island, M'ith specified benefits, pro- 
vided he should, within the space of four years, place upon his lands so 
granted at least fifty adults as actual settlers, who should become his 
tenants. Such proprietor was constituted the feudal chief of his domain, 
with the title oi jxttroon — a patron or defender. 

It was provided that the lands of each patroon should be limited to 
sixteen miles in linear extent along one shore of a luivigable .stream, or 
to eight miles if he occupied both shores ; l)ut he might extend it indefi- 
nitely into the interior. It was also provided that if any proportionally 
greater mimber of emigrants should be settled by a proprietor, the area 
(if his domain should be extended in the same ratio. He was to be abso- 
lutely lord of the manor, political and otherwise. lie might hold in- 
ferior courts for the adjudication of petty civil cases ; and if cities should 
grow up on his domain he was to have power to appoint the magistrates 
and other officers of such municipalities, and have a deputy to confer 
with the governor or first director of New Netherland. 

The settlers under the ]iatrooTis were to be exempted from all taxation 
and tribute for the support of the provincial government for ten years ; 
and for the same period every man, wonum, and child was bound not to 
leave the service of tlie jiatroon without his written consent. The colo- 
nists were forbidden to manufacture cloth of any kind on pain of banish- 
ment : and the company agreed to furnish them with as many African 
slaves as they '" conveniently could,'* and also to protect theni against 
foes. Each colony was bound to support a minister and a school-nuister, 
and so provide a comforter for the sick and a teacher for the illiterate. 
It was also provided that every proprietor, whether a patroon or an inde- 
jiendent settler, should make a satisfactory arrangement with the Indians 
for the lands they should occupy. It recognized the right of the abo- 
rigines to the soil ; invited independent farmers, to whom a homestead 
should be secured ; pron^ised protection to all in case of war, and encour- 
aged religion and learning. 



3-Z 



TllIC KMl'IUK STATE. 



Tlicrc was iieitlier ji settled clorj^yiiiaii nor a scliool-iiiaster in tlic prov- 
ince during Miniiit's adniinistratiun of six years, but provision was 
made for two " consolers of tlie sick," wiiose duty required them to 
read the Scriptures and creeds to the people gathered in a liDrse-niill on 
Sundays. A ])en-tower was erected on the luill, and in it were lumi^ 
some Spanish bells which the company's fleet liad captured at I'orto 
Kico. 

Tlicro was some sharp practice performcMl liy some of the mendiers 
iif tiie Amsterdam {'hami)er in securing valualilu manors. Samuel 
Godyn anil Samuel lilommaert, leading members, bought of the bar- 
barians a tract of land stretching along Delaware Bay from (';ipe Ilin- 
lopen north over thirty uiiles and two miles in the interior, while the 
charter was under consideration. Soon afterward Killiau van Rens- 
selaer, another shrewd director, a wealthy [)earl mi!rcliant of Amsterdam, 












SIGNATIUE OF KIM. IAN VAX liKNSSKI.AEK. 



informed by his friend Krol, the ileimty secretary and commissary at I 
Fort Orange, of the excellence and good situation of the country in that ' 
vicinity, instructed that friend to purchase a large tract of land of the ' 
liiiliaiis. It was done, and lauds wei'e secured nn bcith sides of the river. 
.Michael I'auw, another wide-awake director, secured l)y purchase of the 
barbarians, in a similar manner, a large tract of land in ^.^w Jersey, 
opposite Manhattan ; also the whole of Staten Island. 

This adroit forestalling in the ])urchase of some of the best lands in 
the province as to eligibility of situation — this '" helping themselves by 
the cunning trick of merchants'' — created much ill feeling among the 
uiend)ers for a while ; but it was allayed by admitting other directors 
into partner.shiji. This coueessiou was necessary in order to secure the 
confirmation of the charter of privileges by the College of Nineteen. 
This done, steps were immediately taken to colonize the manors. Tiiat 
of Van Rensselaer was the most extensive. It included a territory on 
both sides of the Mauritius or liudson River, comprehending a hu-ge 



COLONY OF DE VRIES OX THE DELAWARE. 



■■iS 



part of (present) Albany, llensselaer, and Coluniliia counties. It wa.s 
called the " Colonie of Kensselaerwyck. " 

These patroons — grasping, energetic men — soon gave the company 
great uneasiness. Their large estates once secured, they entered into 
comj)etition with the company in the trade with the Indians. They 
were encouraged by Governor Minuit, who had assisted them in securing 
their estates, and found it profitable to be their friend. The company, 
perceiving this, recalled Minuit in 1631, and the colony remained with- 
out a governor more than two years. 

One of the l)est, the clearest-headed and most liberal-minded of tlie 
directors who Ijecame a patroon was David Pietersen de Yries, an eminent 
navigator in the service of the 
Dutch East India Company,who 
came to Manhattan at about the 
time when Minuit was recalled, 
and for ten years occupied a 
conspicuous position in the pul)- 
lic and private affairs of New 
Netherland. He was a friend 
of Patroon Godyn, and was 
very active in founding a col- 
ony near the .site of Lewis- 
ton, on Delaware P>ay, which 
was named Swaanendael. The 
Dutch took possession of the 
country in the name of the 
States-General. There thirty 
enn'grants, with cattle and im- 
plements, were seated, but they 

were murdered by the Indians the next year, and their dwellings were 
laid in ruins. 

In the spring of 1633 Walter van Twiller, a narrow-minded clerk in 
the company's warehouse at Amsterdam, who had married a niece of 
Van Rensselaer and had served that director well in shipping cattle to 
his manor on th.e Hudson River, succeeded Minuit as governor. Accord- 
ing to all accounts, he was a most absurd man in person, character, and 
conduct. Washington Irving, in a pleasant pen caricature of him, 
described his person as " exactly five feet six inches in height and six 
feet five inches in circumference ;" his liead " a perfect sphere ;" " his 
face a vast expanse, unfnrrowed by any of those lines and angles which 
disfigure the human countenance with what is termed expression," and 




DAVID PrETERSEN DE VRIES. 



u 



THE EMl'lJU-: STATK. 



his clieclcs " were curiously luottlod iiiid streaked with dusky red, like a 
Spitzeiiberg apple. " ile "daily took four stated meals, appropriating 
exactly one hour to each ; sinokcd and doubted eight hours, and slept 
the remaining twelve of the four-aiid-twenty. " 

A^an Twiller was totally unfitted by nature and education for the posi- 
tion lie was placed in. Ile was self-indulgent to the last degree, and 
was profoundly ignorant of puldic a (fairs ; yet during his administration 

the colony flourished in 
spite of him. He came 
attendtid liy about one 
hundred and forty sol- 




Pyrf'*^^^' ,/u^t.S^ 




diers, the first that 



a])- 



SIGNATirUK OV ^VAI.TKU VAX TWILI.KIJ. 



peari'd iii the colonv. 

AVith (xoveriior Van 
Twiller came the liev. 
Everardus Bogardus, 
the first clergyman seen 
in New Ketherland ; 
also Adam Roelandsen, the firet school-master in the colony. Bogardus 
was a man of energy. He M-as bold and faithful, and did not hesitate 
to reprove the governor for his shortcomings in duty, ofiicial, moral, and 
religious. On one occasion he called him a " child of the devil " to his 
face and before high officials, and told him that if he did not behave him- 
self he would " give him sucli a sliake from the pulpit" the ne.xt Sun- 
day as would make him tremble like a bowl of jelly. 

Trouble with 
the English began /^J f 

with the advent 
of Van Twiller. 
A former commis- 
sary at Fort Or- 
ange (now Albany) 
named Eelkens, 
who had been dis- 
missed from the company's service, Aveiit to England and, in the 
employ of London merchants, sailed for the Hudson River in the shi]) 
William, determined to trade with the Indians in its upper waters, 
with whom he was accpiainted. Van Twiller forbade his ascending the 
river. Eelkens, knowing the weakness of the governor, treated him 
with scorn. A"an Twiller, mildly offended, caused the Orange flag to be 
unfurled over Fort Amsterdam and a salute of three guns to be fired in 




oa/ici^c^i-Pff 



t^^c-C- (jl^n£>- )xi4-' 



SIONATUIIE OF EVEIIAKDUS BOGABDUS. 



TROUBLE WITH NEW ENGLANDERS. 35 

honor of the Prince of Orange to fill the intruder witli terror. Eelkens, 
not at all dismayed, ran up the British flag, fired tliree guns in honor of 
Charles of England, and sailed up the river. 

For once Tan Twiller seemed to be really angrj-. lie gatliered the 
garrison at the door of the fort, tapped a cask of wine, filled capacious 
glasses, swore terribly in Low Dutch, and called upon the people, who 
stood laughing in his face, to assist liim in wiping out this stain upon 
the honor of himself and Holland. De Vries, who dined with the gov- 
ernor that day, told him he had acted like a fool. Van Twiller did not 
deny that he was a fool, and meekly assented to the demand of the fiery 
captain that an expedition should be sent to bring Eelkens back, and 
thus vindicate the honor and courage of the State. Van Twiller hesi- 
tated long, but finally sent a small flotilla fairly armed, and at the end 
of a niontli from the day when the offence was committed the William 
was brought back and driven out to sea. Eelkens was foiled. This was 
the first hostile encounter between the Dutch and English in Xew 
Xetherland. The WiNiam was the first English ship whose keel 
ploughed the waters of the Hudson River. 

Already a little cloud had brooded in the east. When the Puritans 
of Massachusetts were assured of the beauty and fertility of the soil of 
the valley of the Connecticut River, they yearned for its possession. The 
Dutch had already assumed that right, in accordance with the Eritish 
doctrine of first discovery ; for, as we Lave seen, Adriaen Block dis- 
covered the Connecticut River nearly six jea.rs before the Puritans came 
1o Cape Cod Bay. The Dutch had obtained a more righteous title by a 
purchase of the whole Connecticut Valley from the barbarians. They 
had set up the arms of Holland on a tree at the mouth of the river, and 
had nearly completed the fort a little below the site of Hartford, and 
named it " Good Hope." 

Unmindful of the claims of the Dutch, the Plymouth Company 
granted a charter to certain parties to settle in the lovely Connecticut 
Valley. During the bland Indian summer in 1633 a small company of 
Puritans under Captain Holmes sailed up the Connecticut in a sloop, 
with the frame of a house all prepared for erection, to plant a settlement 
on the shore of that stream. The energetic commissary, Jacob van 
Curler (or Corlear), was then at the fort, on which were mounted two 
cannons. He demanded a sight of Holmes's commission, and on Ids 
refusal to show it Van Curler forbade his goiiig further up the river, 
and threatened him with destruction if he should attempt to pass the 
fort. The Yankee filibuster M-as as careless as a Turk of the shotted 
cannon. He sailed <|uietly by, while the Dutch '• let the shooting 



36 



Tin: K.MPIKi: STATE. 




MAP OF NEW XETHERLAXD. 



3? 




38 THE EMPIKE STATK. 

stand. "' Ilolincs and liis little party soon landed, and on the site of 
Windsor, just above Hartford, they erected tlieir house and planted tlie 
seed of an English colony. The Dutch and En<rlish quarrelled concern- 
ing the ownenship of the Connecticut A'alley for about twenty years, 
when the question was amicably settled. The Dutch withdrew, and the 
present line between New York and Connecticut was established as the 
eastern boundary of Xcw Netherland. 

The new State yet lacked a ])rinic element of jierpetnity. There were 
no independent farmers in !Xew Nctherland cultivating their own lands, 
for the soil belonged to the Dutch West India Company, excepting that 
of the ]>atr(>on estates. These M-ealthy monopolists carried on all agricul- 
tural operations off the public domain. The tiller might own his house, 
but he held no fee-title to the soil. Thousands of fertile acres in tln' 
province ronuiined uncultivated, for commercial advantages alone (,)ccu- 
])ied the attention of the company. The feudal system, internal discord 
between the patroons and the officers of the company, and e.\ternal 
dangers began to rei)ress the energies of the people before the end of 
Van Twiller's administration. Many were sighing for ''fatherland." 

The machinery of 
the local govern- 
ment generally 

^payniyjT/^^^/tU^'^^Tx^ ""•^■"'^ sluggishly 





SIGNATLKK OK I.LUBEKTUS V^VJ< DINCKLAGEN. 



and often viciousl}'. 
The governor lost 
all personal influ- 
ence, and became a 
target for coarse 
jests. We have seen how Dominie Bogardiis treated him. Ilis own 
subordinates treated him with equal contempt. The schout-tiscal, Lub- 
bertus van Dincklagen, one of the most learned and honest men 
among them, reproved him opeidy. 

Van Twiller ventured to strike back in this case, but tlie blow he gave 
Van Dincklagen jiroved to be like that of a boomerang. It wounded 
the governf)r himself most seriously. His blow consisted in refusing to 
pay the schout-fiscal his salary, M-liich was in arrears three years, and 
sending him to Holland in disgrace. It was a sad day for the governor 
when A'an Dincklagen departed, for the schout-tiscal was a man of pluck, 
and lield a ready pen. He sent such damaging memorials to the States- 
(Tcneral, the truths of M-hich Mere verified by the testimony of De Vries 
before the Amsterdam Chamber, that Van Twiller was recalled at the 
moment when lie liad purchased Xutten and other islands around ^lan 



VAX TWILLER AND KIEFT. 



39 



hattaii, in expectation of vegetating and dying in official dignity in New 
Xctlierland. 

We have no memorial of Yan Twiller left in tlie name of any State, 
villaije, institution, water-craft, or domain excepting the isle of Nuts, 
wliicli lies in the bay of New York, within earshot of the place of his 
tinal departure for the Zuyder Zee. It is called " The Governor's 
Island ' ' to this day. At his departure he was one of the most extensive 
land-owners in the province, and the herds of cattle which stocked his 
farms gave occasion for the suspicion that the governor had enriched 
himself at the expense of the company's interests.* 

Yan Twiller was succeeded by "William Ivieft, a man of great energy, 
but lacking in moral qualities. Little is known of him before his 
appearance at New Amsterdam. He had lived in liochelle, in France, 
where, for some misdemeanor, the people hung him in effigy. De Yries, 
who knew him well, ranked him among the " great rascals of the age." 
He was energetic, spite- 
ful, and rapacious ; fond 
of quarrels, and never 
happy except when in 
trouble — the reverse of 
Yan Twiller, who loved 
ease and quiet. His tirst 
council was composed of 
men of similar humor. 

Kieft began his ad- 
ministration by concen- 
trating all executive pow- 
er in his own hands. He and his council assumed so much dignity that it 
became a '' high crime to appeal from the judgments" of the governor 
and his subordinate officials. Yet he was really a better man for the 
company and the peoj^le than his predecessor. He was as busy as a 
brooding hen, and attempted reforms in government, society, and relig- 
ion on a scale altogether beyond the capacities of himself and his " sub- 
jects," as he sometimes styled the people. He had an exalted opinion 




SIGNATUKE OF WILLIAM KIEFT. 



* Villi Twiller was a native of Xicuwkerk. He niarried a niece of Patroon Van Rens- 
selaer, through whose influence the incompetent clerk was appointed goTernor. Recalled 
in 1637, he publicly aljused the Dutch West India Comjiany after his return to Holland with 
considerable wealth. He vilified the adininistration of Stuyvesant. The company were 
indignant, and spoke of Van Twiller as an ungrateful man, who had " sucked his wealth 
from the breast of the company which he now abuses." Van Rensselaer seems to liave 
had conlidence in him, for he made Van Twiller executor of his last Will and Testament. 



40 TIIK EJrPIRK STATK. 

of Miiuiit. ;is a governor, ami lie resolved to imitate his example ; Imt 
IVrimiit befuiiio tlie Itane of his jieacc almost from the hegimiiiig. 

Kieft found puhlic affairs in Xew Netlici'laiid in a wretched condition, 
and he put forth strength to bring order out of confusion. Abuses 
al)onuded, but measures of reform wliicli ho adopted almost stripped the 
citizens of their privileges. Fort Amsterdam was repaired, and new 
warehouses for the company were erected. lie caused orchards to be 
planted and gardens cultivated on Manhattan. He had police ordinances 
framed and enforced. He catised religion and morality to be fostered, 
regular religious services to bo publicly conducted, and a spacious stone 
church to be built within the fort, in the wooden tower of which were 
hung the Spanish bells already mentioned as giving out their chimes 
from the bell-tower of the horse-mill. It M'as a gala day in Xew Am- 
sterdam (16-i2) when the Connecticut architects, John and Ilichard 
Ogden, hung those bells, and the governor gave a supper to the builders 
and the magnates of the village at his harher<j for strangers, a stone 
building at the head of Coenties Slip, which was called the " City Tav- 
ern" in Stuyvesant's time.* 

A more liljeral policy in respect to private ownership of land (to be 
mentioned presently) caused inunigration to increase. The freedom of 
conscience which prevailed in the Fatherland prevailed also in Xew 
Netherland. All that Kieft required of new settlers was an oath of 
allegiance to the States-General of Holland. "When they could answer 
the (piestion affirmatively, '' Do you want to buy land and become a 
citizen V it was the extent of the catechism. 

Kieft had eaten but few dinners at New Amsterdam when he was 
informed of the impertinence of the Swedes in buying enough land 
between two trees to build a house upon, and then claiming the whole 
territory west of the Delaware from Cape Ilinlopen to the falls at 
Trenton ; lands the most of which were already in possession of patroons. 
Upon what foundation was this claim laid i Let ns see. 

U.sselincx, the original projector of the Dutch "West India Company, 
had left Auisterdam in a passion, an<l laid before Gustavns Adolplnis, 



* The shrewd governor took .Klvantaire of the occasion of a wedding feast to secure 
ample subscriiilions for the tniililing of the cluircli. It was the weddiii!; of a daiiiihtcr 
of Dominie Uogardus. At the wedding feast, at wliich the princi|)al jH'opleof Jlanliatlan 
were gatliered. after " the fourth or fifth round of drinking," Kicfl proposed a suliscrip- 
tion for the churdi. and gave hhcrally liimself. All the company, with light heads 
made dizzy with drink, vied with each other in " subscribing richly." Some of them, 
when they became sober, "well npenlcil nf thiir reckless extravagance," but " noihiiii: 
availed to fxcu.sc it." 



I 



THE SWEDES OX THE DELAWAKE. 41 

King of Sweden, the great cliampion of Protestantism, a well-arranged 
plan for establishing a Scandinavian colony on the Sonth or Delaware 
Tiiver. Gustavus was delighted, for it promised an asylum in America 
for all persecuted Protestants. But while the scheme was ripening the 
Swedish monarcli was called to the field, where he fell in battle, near 
Lutzeii. lie did not forget the great prospective enterprise. Only a 
few days before his death he recommended it as " the jewel of his 
kingdom.'' The Count of Oxenstierna, who ruled Sweden in behalf of 
Christina, the daughter of Gustavus — '' the sweet little jessamine bud of 
the royal conservatory" (alas ! for its full development) — ardently sup- 
ported the enterprise. Four years before the wasp of Rochelle succeeded 
Van Twiller, Oxenstierna gave a charter to the Swedish West India, 
Company, and Peter Minuit, the dismissed Governor of New Nether- 
land, was appointed the first governor of the Swedish colony to be 
founded on the Delaware Piver. Toward the close of 1637, Minuit 
sailed for the Delaware in the good ship I\l'y of Calmar with a comjiany 
of eniigrants. It was this apparition that startled Kieft soon after his 
arrival at Manhattan. 

At first Kieft was astonished, then affronted, and at last he rubl)ed his 
hands with delight, for he saw a clear opportunity for a ipiarrel and a 
display of his diplomatic powers. The whole l)readth of the present 
State of Xew Jersey lay between him and the intruders, and that was a 
comfort. He fearlessly issued a proclamation with an imperial fiourish, 
])rotesting against the intrusion and declaring that he would not be 
'■ answerable for any mishap, bloodshed, trouble, or disaster" which the 
Swedes might sufiFer from his anger and valor. 

Minuit laughed at Kieft and went on to biiild a stronghold on the 
site of AVilmington, which he named Fort Christina, in honor of his 
young queen, and pushed a profitable trade with the Indians. The 
fiery Kieft hurled protest after protest against the Swedes, but they 
were as litfle heeded as were the paper bidls sent by Clement to bellow 
excommunication through the realm of Ileniy the Eighth of England. 
Swedish vessels filled with Swedish men, women, and children, intent 
on empire and happiness in America, came thicker than Belgic proc- 
lamations ; and in spite of Kieft's majesty, the Scandinavian colonists 
laid the foundations of the capital of " New Sweden" on an island not 
far from the site of Philadelphia. More than forty years before Penn, 

" the Quaker, came. 
To leave his hat, his drab, and his name. 
That will sweetly sonud from the trump of fame 
Till its liual blast shall die," 



42 



THE KMPIRE STATE. 



tliey spi-fiul tlie tents of onii)irc on tin; ^oil wlicre now flourish in ros^al 
])ride the c-oninionwealths of Peniibylvaiiia ami Dehiware. 

Tlie Plnixlisli on tlie cast became as troublesome as the Swedes on the 
south. Like busy ants tliey were spreading over the fertile lands we>r 
of the Ilousatonie Tliver, and under the jirovisiuns of a charter given tn 
Lorit Stirling by the Council of riynu)nth, they actually claimed the 
whole of Long Island. They disregarded Dutch ])roclainations and 
Lidian title-deeds. Filibusters from Massachusetts cast down the arms 
of Holland M-hicli had been set up at Cow Bay on the island, and mocked 
the otticials at ifanhattan. 

Kieft with great energy soon put an end to these encroachments. Jle 
bought for the company from the Indians all the territory comprised 
within present Kings and Queens counties, and immediately planted 
settlements within that domain. Colonies were established on Staten 
Island and on the west side of the Hudson River ; while settlements 

were made by the English on the eastern 
portions of Long Island without interference 
by the Dutch. 

Lyon Gardiner, the English military com- 
mander at thenuinth of the Coimccticut River, 
liought of the barbarians the island that bears 
liis name. He removed from Saybrook to 
his island, where his wife gave birth to a 
daughter, and so the first permanent EnglisJi 
settlement was made within the present linuts 
of the State of ]S'ew York. Peace might long 
have reigned in New Netherland had not 
acijuisitiveness arisen in rebellion against justice, and engendered a ter- 
rible storm of vengeance among the dwellers of the forest. 

The iiartialitv of the Dutch for the Mohawks made the River Indians 
(as the dwellers along the Hudson south of Fort Orange were called) ' 
jealous, and their friendship for the white people was greatly weakened 
by tlie di.shonesty of traders, who stupefied them with rum and then 
cheated- them in traffic. Kieft not only wiidced at these things, but, 
under the false plea of " express orders" from his principals, he de- 
manded tribute of furs, corn, and M-ampnm from the triltes around Man- 
hattan. They sullenly complied, but with an inward protest against 
this rank injustice. AVhen they cast the costly tribute at the feet of the ] 
llullanders they turned away M-ith a curse bitter and uncompromising. 

"When the governor clearly jierceived this black cloud on the brows of 
the barbarians, surcharged with the lightnings of vengeance, his fears I 




THE (iAlU)IXEK AUMS 



WAR WITH INDIANS IMPENDING, 43 

iuul liis cruelty were awakened. With the usual instinct of a bad nature, 
he sought an opportiinity to injure those he had deeply wronged. The 
opportunity was not long delayed. Some swine had been stolen from 
a plantation on Staten Island. Kieft charged the innocent Raritans 
with the theft, and sent armed men to chastise them. Several Indians 
were killed. This outrage kindled the anger of all the surrounding 
tril)es, even lieyond the Hudson Highlands. 

At this juncture the little nephew of the Westchester chief M'ho had 
been murdered by Minuit's men fifteen years before had grown to lusty 
manhood, and proceeded to execute his vow of revenge made when he 
saw his uncle slain near the spot where the Halls of Justice now stand. 
He came to Manhattan, crept stealthily to the solitary cabin of Claas 
Schmidt, a harmless wagon-maker at Turtle Bay, on the East Kiver, 
slew him with an axe, and plundered his dwelling. Kieft demanded 
the murderer from liis tribe. His chief I'efused to give him up. Here 
was a cause for war. Kieft chuckled with delight ; but cooler heads 
and better hearts averted a dire calamity. The people absolutely refused 
to shoulder their fire-arms at the governor's bidding, and said to him 
plainly : 

" You wisli to have war that you may make a wrong reckoning with 
the company." 

Kieft had stormed and threatened, but this unexpected revelation of 
the people's insight into his real character suddenh' transformed the 
bullying autocrat into a seeming repulilican. He called togetlier all the 
masters and lieads of ramilies ostensiijly to consult upon public affairs. 
It was only to make them unconscious cat's-paws in the prosecution of 
his designs, and have them bear a part of the responsibility. 



44 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



CHAPTER IV 



■was to be recognized as-a 



Ix 164:0 a new cb?a^er for patroons was granted which greatly modific 
the obnoxious features of that of 1C29. It allowed " all good inbabitaii:- 
of the Netherlands to select lands and form colonies in New Netherland. 
The proposed land grants were comparatively small in extent, compre- 
hending only two miles along the shores of any bay or river, and exten 
ing four miles into the country. These inferior patroons were endowc 
with many of the privileges of the superior patroons. 

Provision was also made for another class of proprietors. Wlioevi : 
shonld convey to New Xetherland live grown persons besides himsi. 

master or colonist," and could occupy t\\ 
hundred acres of land, wi- 
the privilege of hunting ai. 
fishing. Commercial privi- 
leges, which the first chur 
ter had restricted to t! 
patroons, were now exten : 
ed to all "'free colonists " 
These wiser provisions, rm:- 
withstanding onerous im 
posts for the benefit of t : 
company were exacted fr' •: 
the colonists, stimnlated emigration and promised perpetuity and pr.-- 
perity to the province. 

Meanwhile the Colonic of Rensselaerwyck had greatly prosperc ' 
under the energetic management of the patroon's commissaiy, Areti', 
van Curler.* Around Fort Orange within that domain had grown 



-^^S^/J^i 




^^"^J 



STGXATTBE OF AUENDT V.O.' CURLEK. 



* Arcndt van Curler is represented as a man " of large benevolence and unsuUi' 
honor." bold and energetic, to whom the patroon delegated his entire power at Ri-n- 
selaerwvck. His juris<liction included all the territon.- on both sides of the Hudson Riv. r 
between Beaver Island and the moulh of the Mohawk River, excepting the precinct 
Fort Orange. This post, which was the propeny of the Dutch West India Compa;. . 
when the first purchases in the neighborhood were nuide by Tan Rensselaer, was alwa\ - 
occupied by a small garrison commanded by officers under the immediate direction ■ 
the provincial authorities at Manhattan. 

Van Curler or Corlcar was one of the best and most sagacious of the earlier foiuid^ 
of Xew York State. He was a first cousin of the first Patroon Van Rensselaer, a:. 



VAX CURLER AND VAX RENSSELAER COLoXIE. 



45 



little village called Beverswvek. This was the lieginning of the city of 
Albany, now the political capital of the State of New York. 

Patrooii Van Kensselaer through Commissary Van Curler was begin- 
ning to exercise power 
almost co-ordinate with 
that of the director-gen- 
eral or governor at Man- 
hattan. He Lad liis 
koop-man, his scliout- 
fiscal, and his council 
under his commissary, 
and he was invested with 
power to administer jus- 
tice, pronounce and exe- 
cute sentences for all 
degrees of crime, even 
the penalty of death ; 
and he was the executor 
within his domain of all 
the laws and ordinances 
of the civil code that 

governed Xew Netherland. In addition to this, the colonists upon his 
great manor were subjected to such laws and regulations as the patroon 
or his deputy might establish. They had the legal right to appeal to 
the governor and Council at Manhattan ; but this right was virtually 
annulled by the obligation under which the colonists upon the manor were 
compelled to come — namely, not to appeal from the manorial tribunals. 




BLTCH REFORMED CUURCII AT ALUAXV. 



came to America in 1630. His wise and humane treatment of the Indians caused him to 
he beloved by them all, and his policy toward them did more to secure a peaceful settle- 
ment of the Mohawk Valley by the white people than the eflforts of any other man. The 
first act of the English governor after the conquest of the domain from the Dutch in 
lfifi4 was to send for Curler, to profit by his advice concerning an Indian policy. He 
wa-i an efficient promoter of sobriety, morality, and religion. Returning from a visit to 
Canada on the invitation of the governor, in 1667, his boat was capsized in a squall on 
Lake Cliamplain, and he was drowned. For a long period the lake was known to the 
English as Curler's or Corlear's Lake. 

* The first church edifice built at Albany was a wooden structure thirty-four feet long 
by nineteen wide. It stood among other buildings clustered around Fort Orange. It had 
IKws for the magistrates and deacons, and nine benches for the congregation. The ex- 
pense of all was thirty-two dollars. In 1656 a larger church was built of stone at the 
junction of (present) State Street and Broadway. Its pulpit and bell were sent over by 
the Dutch AVest India Company. It served the congregation a century and a half, or 
until 1^106. One of its windows bore the arms of the Van Rensselaer family. 



46 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



In u'"viTmiieiit, as in otiicr matters, the Van Rensselaer Manor or 
Colonic of Keiisselaerwyck exhibited some of the most eonspicnotis 
features of feudalism. It was almost an autocracy within a State, and 
as such it sometimes gave nnicli tronljle to the superior authorities at 
Manhattan. Only Fort Orange and its immediate surroundings wvv 
exempt fi-om the putroon's control. 

Impressed with the necessity of sound religious instruction in his 
colony, Patroon Van Kensselaer, in 1042, sent to Kensselaerwyek .Idlm 
Megopolensis, D.T)., a learned clergyman belonging to the classis i>f 
Alckmaor. A substantial church edifice was constructed, and very soon 
a nourishing church was established upon the theological foundation 
formulated by the Synod of Dordrecht. Tlie influence of Dr. Mego- 
polensis on the Hollanders and the Indians was most salutary. 

Soon after the arrival of this minister an 
occasion tested the humanity, the toleration, 
and the l)road Christianity of the Dutch. A 
Jesuit missionary (Father Jogues) and t\\" 
other Frenchmen were taken prisoners by the 
Iroquois and conducted to the Moliawk 
country, where they frequently suffered tor- 
tures. Informed of this, Tan Curler attempted 
to rescue them. Witli two others he rode on 
horsel)ack into the ^Vfohawk country, where 
tliey were joyfully received, for the commis- 
sary was beloved l)y the Mohawks. lie 
offered munificent ransoms for the Frenchmen, 




but tlie Iiulians refused to give them ui 



ARMS OF THE VAN REXS- 
SELAEK FAMILY. 



The barbarians saved the life of Fatlier 
Jogues, but murdered his comjjanions. He 
finally escaped to Fort Orange, went to 
Euro])e, returned to Canada in 1(!4G, ventured among the Mohawks as 
a missionary, and was slain by them at Caughnawaga soon after- 
ward. 

The " free colonists," as we have observed, were the " masters" who, 
with the '■ heads of families," were called in consultation with the gov- 
ernor concerning an attack upon neighboring Indians. By this act the 
ambitious Ivieft, who strove to exercise the powere of an autocrat in tin 
goveniment of !New Nethcrland, unwittingly planted the first seetis ui 
democracy — the first germ of representative government among Eun)- 
peans within the domain of the State of Kew York. The " masters and 
heads of families" who came together at the bidding of the governor in 



FIRST POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVE BODY. 



47 




'Jsaxi-e Oop.'O^ 
^ — =j 



tlic suniiuer of liUl. chose twelve discreet men as a committee to act 
for tliem. 

The names of the members of this first representative assembU- ever 
convened for pohtical purposes in New Xetherland shoukl never be for- 
gotten. They were : Jacques Ben tyn, 
Maryn Adriaen^en, Jan Jansen Dam, 
Ilendrick Jansen, David Pietersen de 
Tries, Jacob Stoffelsen, Abraham 
Molenaar, Frederick Lnbbertsen, Jo- 
chem Pietersen Kuyter, Gerrit Dirck- 
sen, George Papelye, and Abram 
Planck. They were all emigrants 
froin Holland, and liad enjoyed the 
blessings of popular freedom in that 
garden of Western Europe. They 
were the first representatives and as- 
serters within the boundaries of New 
York of the germinal doctrines of 
the Declaration of Independence pro- 
mulgated at Philadelphia more than 
sixscore years afterward. 

The Committee of Twelve chose 
the energetic De Yries for their president. He had suffered deeply 
from the barbarians in the destruction of Swaanendael, on the Delaware, 
and had lost much property by their depredations on Staten Island, yet 
both humanity and expediency counselled him to preserve peace with 
the Indians. This condition he strenuously advocated. His colleagues 
agreed with him, and the sanguinary governor was astonished and 
puzzled. The senators were firm, and hostilities were deferred. 

Meanwhile the Connnittee of Twelve were busy in maturing a plan 
for establishing at Manhattan the popular form of government that pre- 
vailed in Holland. Kiuft was alarmed, for he perceived that a scheme 
was on foot to abridge the absolute power with which he was clothed. 
He suggested a compromise, and the confiding representatives of the 
people, who met early in ltij:2, put their trust in his promises. He 
offered concessions of popular freedom on the condition of being allowed 
to chastise the Westcliester Iiulians for the murder of Schmidt. A 
reluctant consent was finally given. When the perfidious governor had 
procured this consent he dissolved the Committee of Twelve, in Feb- 
ruary, 1042, by an arbitrary order, telling them that the business for 
which they had been convened was completed. This done, he forbade 



48 THK EMPIRE STATE. 

any popular assemblages thereafter. Thus euded tlie first attempt to 
estahlisli jiopular sovereignty in Xew Netherland. 

Kiet't now sent an armed force into "Westchester to chastise the "Weck- 
quaesgeeks, tlie tril)c of tlie murderer. Tlie e.xpedition was fruitles>. 
and was followed by concessions and a treaty which ])revcnted bloodshed. 
The governor was disappointed, but his bloodthirstiness was partially 
slaked not long afterward. The River Indians were tributary to the 
Mohawks, and at midwinter in 1G43 a large war-party of the latter came 
down from near Fort Orange to collect tribute of the Weckquaesgeeks 
in lower Westchester and the Tappans on the west side of the Hudson 
River. 

The terrified Algon(]uins — men, women, and cliildren, fully five hun- 
dred strong — fied before the dreaded Iroquois, and sought refuge with 
the Dutch. The latter now had a rare opportunity to win the sincere 
ami lasting friendship of their barbarian brethren around them by exer- 
cising the virtues of hospitality, common humanity, and a Christian 
spirit. Such a course De Yries and Bogardus strongly advised ; but 
there were other leading spirits bent on war and revenge who advised 
the very willing governor to improve the occasion for avenging the 
murder of Schmidt. Three of the ex-senators, speaking falsely in the 
name of the Twelve, urged the governor to "fall upon tliem." The 
governor was deliglite<l, aii<l at once ordered Sergeant Rudolf to lead 
eighty well-armed men across the river and attack the fugitive Tappans, 
who had taken refuge with the Ilackensacks at Pavonia or Iloboken, 
near the Dutch settlement of Yriesdael. 

De Vries, representing the majority of the citizens, vainly tried to 
dissuade the governor from his bloodthirsty purpose. He warned him 
that he would bring dire calamity upon the province. The fiery magis- 
trate spurned the captain's advice and admonitions, saying : '" The order 
has gone forth ; it cannot be recalled." In that order he impiously 
said the M'ork had been undertaken " in the full confidence that God 
will crown our resolutions with success." 

At the middle of a cold night late in February, 1643, Sergeant Rudolf 
and his men fell upon tlie defenceless Tappans at Iloboken, who were 
sleeping in fancied security. At the same time Sergeant Adriaensen 
smote tho Weckcpiaesgeeks, who had taken refuge with the Dutch on 
Manhattan at Corlear's Hook, now the foot of Grand Street He killed 
forty of tiiem. Rudolf made tiie deep snows at Uobokeii red with the 
blood of about a hundred unoffending pagans, sparing neither age nor 
sex in the execution of his cowardly master's will. " AVarrior and 
squaw, sachem and child, mother and babe," says Brodhead, '* were 



^<^- MVc4rm^ 



RESULTS OF A CRUEL POLICY. 49 

iilike massacred." The ne.xt moniinii;, wlieii the armed Hollanders 
returned to Fort Amsterdam — a gluistly train — with thirty prisoners and 
tiie heads of several Indians on pikes, Kieft shook their bloody hands 
with delight, and gave them presents. 

This massacre and other outrages committed by order of Kieft aroused 
tlie fierv hatred of all the surrounding tribes. A fierce war was kindled. 
Villanes and farms were desolated. The white people were butehered 
wherever found by the enraged barbarians.* The Long Island Indians, 
hitherto friendly, joined their dusky kindred, and the very existence of 
the colony was im2)erilled. 

The fierce blaze kindled by the folly and wickedness of Kieft appalled 
liim. He again called upon the " Commonalty" to appoint a committee 
to consider propositions 
which he would lay before 
them. They choose eight 
men, one of whom was . . . 

Isaac Allerton, a passenger / / ■**ri-^ 
in the Mayflower, who was \j 
then a prosperous merchant signatltie of isa.^c ai.lehto.n-. 

at Manhattan. The Coun- 
cil of Eight counselled peace M-ith the Long Island tribes and war 
upon the "Westchester Indians, who had desolated settlements and planta- 
tions there. It was done. 



* Amon<r file victims was Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, wlio was an advocate of the right of 
l>iivate judgment in religious matters, and had beeu banished from Boston because it was 
said she was "weakening the hands and hearts of the people toward the ministers," 
and was "like Roger Williams, or worse." She went to Rhode Island, but found her 
alwde there undesirable, so she sought the protection of the more tolerant Dutch for tlie 
exercise of soul liberty. In the summer of 1643 .she removed, with all her family, to Pel- 
ham Neck, in Westchester County, within the Dutch domain. It was near New Rochelle, 
and the spot wa.s called " Annie's Hoeck. " Tlie Dutch named Westchester " The Land 
of Peace." In the tierce war of 1643 the widowed Anne Hutchinson and all her family, 
excepting a little granddaughter, eight years old. were murdered by the Indians. The 
child was made a captive, and was ransomed by the authorities at ilanliattan. 

Lady Deborah Moody, an Englishwoman, who, like Mrs. Hutchinson, had fled from 
persecution at Salem, established herself at Grave.send, on the western end of Long 
I-iland. She had scarcely become settled before the Indians attacked lier plantation. 
Forty resolute colonists bravch" defended it, and drove the assailants away. Graveseiid 
"scaped the fate that befell all the neighboring settlements on Long Island. Two years 
afterward Kieft granted Lady iloody, her son. Sir .1. Henry Moody, and others a patent 
for land ad joining Coney Island, now known as Gravesend. She and other inhabitants 
Were allowed to nominate their magistrates. Her home was again attacked by the bar- 
barians during the excitement while Stuyvesant was on his expedition against the Swedes, 
in 165.1. 



50 TlIK KMI'IKK STATK. 

War raged fearfully again, and tlic colony, aftei a dreadful struggle, 
was on the verge of ruin. At lengtii a company of Englislinien undir 
Captain John Underhill, a brave and restless soldier of New England 
then living at Stamford, Conn., was called to the iissistance of the 
Dutch. The Indians vere subdued, and peace was partially restored. 
Yet the dreadful war-cloud hung ominously over the Hollanders, charged 
witli till' lightnings of suppressed wrath. Kieft trembled at the aspect, 
:uid again convoked the Council of Eight. The people had lost all cou- 
lidence in the governor — nay, they despised and hated him. Their hopes 
in tliis liour of tiieir distress rested solely upon their representativt!S, the 
Council of Eight. But that council possessed no legal executive power, 
and the stubborn governor seldom followed tiieir advice. Rctrievement 
seemed almost hopeless. Distant settlements remained desolated. Dis- 
order everywhere prevailed. The Swedes were building up a strong 
empire on the southern borders of New Netherland, and the Puritans 




^-n'-l;W^A<l-^„ 



SIGNATITH". OF .lOIIX INnEUHILI-. 

were not only claiming absolute title to undoubteil Dutch territory, l)ut 
many of tiiem were becoming citizens under the liberal charter of the 
company, and were M-ielding much intiuence in social life at Maidiattan. 
At tliis juncture, and in order to invoke wholesome interference with 
Kieft's destructive policy, the Council of Eight addressed a memorial t>> 
the States- General, giving a full account of public affairs in the pi'oviiu-i'. 
and asking the recall of the obnoxious governor. At tiiis juncture al-" 
De A'ries, one of the best and most useful citizens, who had been ruincl 
financially by the war, left tiie ])rovince forever and returned to Hol- 
land.* On taking leave of Kieft his last words addressed to the governor 

* De Vries had accepted an in\ntation from a Rotterdam skipper to pilot his vessel, 
laden with Madeira wine, from Manhattan to Virginia. Tliey slopped on the way :ii 
the capital of New Sweden, where De Vries was hospitably entertained by the irovern 'i- 
(Piintz) for live days, while tlie skipper traded wine and eonfeclionciy for beaver-skin- 
De Vries spent the winter in Viiffiiiia, and reached .Vnisterdani in .Tune. 1(>44. He 
seems never to have revisited Ameriea. His story of his Vni/nrim was pnblished at 
Alckmaer. in 165."), with a portrait of him. It was translated into Ensrlish by the late 
Henry C. Mnrpliy, of Bnuiklyn, and has been of es.sential service in the preparation "f 
this vohiinc. 



MEMORIAL OF THE COUNCIL OF EIGHT. 51 

littered the awful prophecy : " The murders in Avhicli you have shed so 
much innocent blood will yet be avenged upon your own head." 

The people endured the rule of Kieft until it could not l>e longer 
liorne with safety to the colony, and the Council of Eight, representing 
tiie conimonalty, addressed a second nieniorial to the States- General and 
the College of ^Nineteen, in which they set forth in detail the causes 
which threatened the absolute ruin of New jSTetherland." They said in 
conclusion : 

'• Tiiis is what we have, in the sorrow of our hearts, to complain of : 
That one man, who has been sent out, sworn and instructed by liis lords 
and masters, to whom he is responsible, should dispose here of our lives 
and property according to his will and pleasure, in a manner so arl)itrary 
that a king would not be suffered legally to do." They asked for a 
l)etter governor for the colonists or permission to return Avith their 
" wives and children to their dear Fatherland." 

Tiie Dutch West India Company was then nearly bankrupt. Immediate 
action was necessary to avert the absolute ruin of New Netherland and 
to prevent the colonists 

" returning with their ^ \ i 

wives and children to U ij h^i.^^ -f^J^ ^WUS-A . 

their dear Fatherland." ^-^ LA^O ^ ^^^ '^ 

Tiie company resolved ^^ ^ 

11 T'"- J?,. 1 SIONATIRE OF COUNEI.IS MEI.YN. 

to recall Kiett, and 

Van Dincklagen, Van 

Twiller's disgraced schoiit-fiscal, was made provisional governor. The 

people at Manhattan were greatly delighted when they heard of the 

intended change. Some pugnacious burghers threatened Kieft with 

personal chastisement when he should " take off the coat with which he 

was Ijedecked by the lords his masters." 

During Kieft's administration the Swedes had obtained a firm foot- 
hold on the Delaware. They claimed territorial jurisdiction on the riglit 
side of the Delaware Bay and River from Cape Ilinlopeu to the falls at 
Trenton. 



* It was written by Cornelis Melyn, one of the Eight Men, who r»me to Manhattan in 
1040 to see the eountry, and was so much pleased with it that he hiustened to Antwerp to 
biinir liis family to America. He afterward rose to prominence in New Netherlaud. He 
was President of the Council of Eight. He had Ijeconie a patroon of Staten Island, and 
began a colony there. He suffered much in body and estate under Kieft, and brought 
his grievances before the States-General. He was a stubborn subject under Stuyvesant, 
and resisted the director's arbitrary power. He finally (1061) surrendered his manor 
into the hands of the Dutch West India Company for a consideration, and returned to 
Amsterdam. 



52 Tin: KMPIKK STATE. 

Go%'ernor ^linuit died at Fort ('hristiiui in 1042. His lieutenant, 
Peter Ilollandare, at the end of a year and a liaif afterward returned tc 
Sweden, when the queen commissioned Jolm Printz, a lieutenant of 
cavalry, jijovernor of Xew Sweden, and furnishod him M'ith ottieers and 
soldiers to support his authority. 

Print/, arrived at Fort Christina early in 16^2. lie was instructed to 
maintain and cultivate friendship with the Dutch at Fort Nassau and 
iManhattaii and the English in Virginia, and not to disturb the Dutch 
settlers within his domain in their forms of divine worship. lie made . 
Tinicum Island, near Chester, about twelve miles below Philailolphia, 
the capital of Neu- Sweden, built a fort upon it of liendock lugs, which 
he named " New Gottenburg," and erected a dwelling, which was called 
'' Printz Hull."" He was instructed not to allow any trade in peltries 
excepting by the agents of the Swedish Company, and to secure all the 
Indian trade against the competition of the Dutch. 

The attitude of the Swedes very much disturbed the authorities at 
^lanhattan. They were then powerless in regard to the intruders. Added 
to this cause of irritation was the absurd claim of a British baronet (Sir 
Edmund Plowden) to nearly all the territory of New Jersey by virtue 
of a charter granted to him by the Viceroy of Ireland ! The ^sew Eng- 
landers, too, annoyed the Dutch by persistent efforts to participate in 
the profitable fur trade which the IloUandere were determined to 
monopolize. 

Impelled by the force of public opinion and a stern voice of warning 
from the Amsterdam Chamber, Kieft liad consented to treat for peace 
with the Indians. Pepresentatives of the surrounding tribes of bar- 
barians had come to Manhattan, and in front of the fort on the spot now 
known as the "' Bowling Green" they had sat and smoked the calumet, 
or pipe of ])cace, and agreed to a treaty of amity between the Dutch 
and themselves. That treatv was sijined on the last day of summer, 
1645. Then a proclamation went forth from Manhattan for the observ- 
ance of Se])tember (ith as a day of thanksgiving throughout New 
Netherland. ' This great Indian treaty was ratified at Amsterdam. 

Kieft exercised his waning power and indulged his petty spite and 
tyranny a little longer. When it was known that he was to be recalled, 
the people became more outspoken in their utterances of contempt for 
him. Dominie Bogardus was foremost in boldness and plainness of 
speech. " What are the great men of the country,'" he exclaimed from 
the pulpit one Sunday, " but vessels of wrath and fountains of woe and 
trouble 1 They think of nothing but to plunder the property of others, 
to dismiss, to banish, to transport to Holland."' The enraged governor, 



I 



STL'YVESAXT SUCCEEDS KIEFT. 



53 



wlio was present, never entered the clmreli again. lie retaliated by 
enconraginff the officers and soldiers to practise all sorts of noisy games 
about tiie church, and even to Ijeat drums and fire caimons during 
preaching. 

After a little more strife with tliu Swedes and New Englanders, and 
falsely accusing the people of 
Manhattan of instigating the late 
disastrous war with the Indians, 
Kieft ended his inglorious sojourn 
in America forever by leaving the 
shores of Xew Netherland in 
August, 1C43, in the ship Prin- 
cess bound for Holland, and carry- 
ing with him more than S100,000 
of ill-gotten wealth. Dominie 
Eogardus sailed in the same ship, 
and with about fourscore otliers 
perished with Kieft when the 
vessel \ras wrecked. The propliecy 
of De Tries was fulfilled. 

The College of Nineteen had 
chansred the mode of government ^ 

-v^ A' il 1 1 i i PETER STUTVESAXT. 

m JSew JNetherland to conform 
more nearly to that of Holland. 

All power for the management of the concerns of the colony was vested 
in a Supreme Council composed of a director-general or governor, a vice- 
director, and fiscal or treasurer. At that time Peter Stuyvesant,* a 
Frieslander, a .sclnilar, and a brave soldier in the service of the Dutch 
AVest India Company, and who had lost a leg in an attack upon the 
Portuguese island of St. Martin, was at Amsterdam receiving surgical 
treatment. He had been governor of the company's colony of Cura(;oa, 
in which capacity he had shown great vigor and wisdom. He was then 
forty-four years of age ; strong in physical constitution ; fond of official 




* Peter Stuyvesant was born in Triestan, in 1603. He became a brave soldier in the 
Duteh military service, in the AVest Indies, and was appointed Governor of Cura(;oa. 
He was a strong-headed and sometimes a ■wrong-headed official, but ruled with equity 
and fidelity to his country. Made governor of Xew Xetherland in 1645, as " redressor 
general " of all abuses, he became conspicuous for his energy and patriotism. Compelled 
to surrender the province to the English in 1664, he retired to private life. The nest 
year he went to Holland to report to his superiors. Returning, he spent the remainder of 
his days at his seat on Manhattan Island, near the East River, where he died in August, 
1682. His remains rest in St. Mark's Churchyard, New York City. 



54 



TlIK KMPIUK STATE. 



show ; adiniriiii; tliu arltitraiy nature of military rule, under wliicli he 
liad been educatod ; aristocratic in all his notions ; haughty in his 
deportment toward subordinates ; a thorough disciplinarian ; a stern, 
inflexible patriot, and a just and honest man. lie was appointed governor 
of Kew Netherland. IFe was not fitted to govern a simple people with 
republican tendencies, yet liis administration of the affairs of New 
jS^etherland for about seventeen years contrasted most favorably with 
those of liis predecessors in ofHce, and he became the most renowned of 
the officials of the Dutch West India Company. 

Owiu"' to a disa<rrcement concerm'iiij some of the details of policv in 
the management of New Netherland. Stuyvesant did not arrive at Man- 
hattan until late in ]\lay, 1047. He bore the commission of director- 
general over New Netherland and " adjoining jjlaces" (New Sweden 
and the Connecticut Valley), and ako of the islands of Cura<;oa. 
Buenaire, Aruba, and their de])endencies. Tie was accompanied by 

I.ubljertus van Dincklagen, \'an Twiller's 
dismissed schout-iiscal (who had been instru- 
mental in causing the recall of that governor 
and also of Ivieft), as vice - director or 
lieutenant-governor. With him also came 
the fiscal, Ilendrick van Dyck, and Com- 
missary Adriaensen. They came with a little 
scjuadron of four ships, bearing " free colo- 
nists" and private traders. 

The new director-general was received at 
^Manhattan with great joy. The arrival was 
on a clear and warm May morning. The whole 
community turned out under arms, and almost exhausted the breath and 
gunpowder of the town in shouting and tiring. Stuyvesant marched to 
the fort in great pomp, displaying a silver-mounted wooden leg of tine 
workmanship. After keeping .several of the principal inhabitants who 
went U> wel(!ome him waiting some hours bareheaded in the sun, while 
he remained covered, " as if he were the Czar of Muscovy," he ad- 
dressed the people. He told them that he should govern them "as a 
father his children, for the advantage of the chartered Dutch West India 
Company and these burghers and their land," and he declared that 
every one should have justice done him. The people went to tiieir 
homes with hopeful anticipations. Yet a few of the more thoughtful 




STIYVESAXT S SEAL.' 



* Stuyvcsant's official seal was made of silver. The engraving is of the exaet size of 
(he original. As it wa.s his private jtroperty, having hail it struck at his own exjwnse, he 



carriiil it with him to New Netherland. 



STUYVESANT'S ENERGETIC RULE. 55 

ones shook tlieir lieads in tluubt, for they soinewliat feared that his 
haiii^htv carriage denoted a despot's will rather than a fatlier's tender 
and affectionate indulgence. 

Stuyvesant was too frank and honest to conceal his opinions and inten- 
tions. At the very outset lie asserted the prerogatives of the director- 
ship, and frowned upon every expression of I'epublican sentiment. lie 
regarded the people as his subjects, to be obedient to his will. In this 
lie was not a whit behind his predecessors. On one occasion he declared 
it to be '' treason to petition against one's magistrates, whether there be 
cause or not." He defended Kieft's conduct in rejecting the interfer- 
ence of " The Twelve" in public affairs, and plainly told the people : 
'■ If any one during my administration shall appeal I will make him a 
foot shorter and send the pieces to Holland, and let him appeal in that 
way." With such despotic sentiments he began his iron rule. 

Stuyvesant was despotic, and yet honesty and wisdom marked all his 
acts. He truly described New Netherland as in " a low condition" on 
his arrival. Excepting tlie Long Island settlements, scarcely fifty 
lioiiweries or cultivated farms could be counted ; and the whole province 
could not furnish more than three hundred men capable of bearing arms. 
He set about reforms with promptness and vigor. The morals of the 
people, the sale of liquor to the Indians, the support of religion, and the 
regulation of trade commanded liis immediate attention and became sub- 
jects for numerous proclamations and ordinances. It was not long 
l)efore he infused his own energy into the community, and very soon 
the life-blood of enterprise began to circulate freely througli every vein 
and artery of society. 

With the same energy Stuyvesant applied himself to the adjustment 
of his " foreign relations." He despatched a courier to Governor Printz, 
of Xew Sweden, witli a decided protest against his occupation of a por- 
tion of tlie domain of New N etherland without the consent of the Dutch 
West India Company, and he made arrangements to meet commissioners 
of New England in council to determine the mutual rights of the Dutch 
and English. He treated the surrounding Indians with the utmost 
kindness. Because the new director won the warm friendship of those 
who were lately brooding in sullen hate over the murder of sixteen 
Inuidred of their people, the foolish story got abroad in the east that 
Stuyvesant was forming a coalition with the Indians to exterminate 
the English ! 

Financial embarrassments in New Netherland at this time were favor- 
alile to the implantation and growth of representative government in the 
colony. Since liTT Holland had maintained the just principle that 



56 • Tin: KMPiin: statk. 

" Taxation iuul representation are inseparable." The denial of tliis 
principle as applied to the English- American colonics at near the middle 
of the last century led to a war which dismendjered the I)ritish Empire 
and gas'O jiolitical independence to the United States. They formulated 
the Holland principle in the grand political postulate : " Taxation with- 
out rejircsentation is tyrauTiy," and foug])t successfully in its defence. 

Stuyvesant dared nc>t tax the colonists without their consent for fear of 
incurring the censure of the States-General. It could be done in only 
one way, and that way he adopted, lie called a convention of tlie 
people and directed them to cljoose eighteen proper men, nine of whom 
he might appoint as the representatives of tlie " commonalty" to form 
a co-ordinate branch of the local government. Altliongli their preroga- 
tives were hedged round by provisos and limitations, and the first Nine 
chosen by the governor were to nominate their successors without the 
voice of the commonalty thereafter, this was an important advance 
toward the popular government of later times. 

, The Nine formed a salutary check upon the director, and kept his 

power witin'n due 
bounds. They were 

^^^-c/^CTt»r-V-t>t^-£:*»^ ^,,g Fatherland, and 

tliey were ever the 

habitual guardians of 

SIGXATrUE OK OOVEUT I.OOCKKHMAXS. il :„l,i.„ ^f 4.I „ „„ 

tlie rights or tlie peo- 
])le. They had far 
more power tlian The Twelve or the Eight under Kieft. Tiiey 
nourisiied the prolific germs of democracy wjiich burst into vigorous 
life in the time of Leisler, nearly fifty years later. These senators 
were Augustine Ileermans, Arnoldus van ITardenburg, and (rovert 
Loockermans from among the merchants ; Jan Jansen Dam, Jacob 
'N^olfertsen van Couweniioven, niiii TIendrick Ilendricksen Kip from 
the citizens, and Michael Jansen, Jans Evertsen Bout, and Tiioniiw 
Hall from the farmers. 

Soon after his inauguration Stuyvesant sent letters to the governors of 
neighboring colonies expressing his desire to cultivate friendly relations 
with them, at the same time stating the nature of the territorial claims 
of the Dutch, the prolific cause of irritation since the administration of 
Governor Minuit, when the Dutch West India Company claimed juris- 
diction over the whole valley of the Connecticut, and Dutch trajijiers and 
traders were seen on the waters of Xarraganset and Cape Cod bays. 
"When Minuit liiade overtures to the " Pilgrims" at Plvinouth for the 





i 



DUTCH EMBASSY AT XEW PLYMOUTH. 57 

establishment of friendly intercourse, Governor Bradford expressed his 
willingness to do so, but warned the Dutch not to occupy or carry on 
trade in the country north of the fortieth degree of latitude, as it 
belonged to the Council of Plymouth. This excluded the whole of Xew 
England and more. Minuit, in reply, claimed the right of the Dutch to 
trade with the Narraganset Indians as they had done for years. Brad- 
ford made no response. Finally Minuit sent a deputation (1G2T) to Xew 
Plymouth to confer -with the authorities there. At their head was 
Eassieres, the Secretary of New Xetherland, an accomplished gentleman 
of French blood. They entered New Plymouth with the sound of a 
trumpet which heralded their approach from the little vessel which had 
brought them to that shore. They were kindly received and entertained 
for several days. The special object of the mission was not attained, 
l)Ut the deputies made a profitable study of the political and social policy 
of the Puritans. They carried biick to Manhattan ideas which, diffused 
among the people there, led in time to an enlargement of their liberties. 
The embassy were accompatiied to their vessel by an escort of Puritans. 
At that conference soft words were used by both parties, kindly feel- 
ings were engendered, and while both the Dutch and the English were 
equally resolved to maintain their respective rights, there were no words 
of defiant anger uttered. Their farewell and parting were most friendly. 
Diplomacy and contention between the Dutch and their neighbors con- 
timied fully twenty years, when the whole matter was settled, as far as 
possible, in 1650. 



58 THE EMPIRE STATE, 




CHAPTER Y. 

Governor Stuyvesant, peacefully inclined, determined to attempt a 
settlement of the disputes between Xew ^ietlle^l:ln(i ami Now England 
hy dijiloniac'v. He made arranifcnient:* for a conference at JIartford 
hetwecn liiniself and commissioners appointed by the united Xew Enir- 
land colonies.* Late in September, 1C50, accompanied by Georiif 
Baxter, his English secretary, and a larj^e suite, he sailed from Manhat- 
tan, touching at several settlements on the 
shores of Long Island Sound. He arrived at 
> : ^^CC^oHy^^ Hartford on the fourth day of the voyage. 

Negotiations began on Septendier 23d. 
sRix.\TuuK OF GEouoE After a discussion for five days it was agreed 
that " all differences should be referred to 
two delegates on each side."' The commis- 
sioners appointed Simon Bradstreet and Thomas Prence, and Stuyvesant 
chose Captain Thomas "Willett and Ensign George Baxter, both English- 
men. The referees recommended that a line drawn from the westerly 
side of Gyster Bay directly across Long Island to the sea should be made 
the boundary between the Dutch on the west side of the line and the 
English on the east side of the line. Also that a line from the west side 
of Greenwich Bay, in Long Island Sound, extending north twenty 
miles, and after that not less than ten 
miles from the Hudson Bivor should ^-, 

be the boundary line between Xew -^""T// I /^ 'fr/^fA.^ 
Ketherland and Xew England on the / (^ ij/U/toirb 

mainland. Judgment as to what had ^ 

already hai)pened between the Dutch ^'"^■^■r^'^- "-■ ^""^■•^>^ ^">•"■'•-"■ 
and New Haven Colony, in Kieft's time, 

was postponed until advice should be received from Holland. The 
former, regardless of the warnings of Governor Kieft, had bought 

* In 1643 (li'lciriitcs from Conncrticut, New Haven. Plymouth, anil the General Court 
of ^lassaehuselts assembled at Boston to consider measures ajrainst common danger from 
the Dutch ou Manhattan and llie Indians. Rhode Island, considered scliismatic. wius not 
invited to the conference. A Confederacy wa.s formed of the colonies named, under the 
title of " United Colonies of New England." It coutiuued for more than fortv years, 
1643-86. 



CONDITIOX OF SEW AMSTERDAM. 59 

lands of the Indians on both sides of the Dehuvarc within the Dutch 
domain, and proceeded to make settlements there. These settlements 
were speedily broken up by military force. 

The reeoiumendations of the referees were adopted. The two chosen 
by Stuyvesant, being Englishmen, his countrymen felt slighted, nay, 
insulted, and accused the governor of partiality for the interests of the 
Euirlisli and neglect of theirs. They opposed the treaty, and made new 
demands for more popular liberty. 

Having so far settled all differences with the New Englanders, Stuy- 
vesant turned his attention 'to the Swedes on the Delaware, whom he 
regarded as intruders upon Dutch territory. The accession of a new 
monarch to the throne of Sweden made an adjustment of the long- 
pending dispute desirable. 

Stuyvesant had been directed to act firmly, but discreetly, in the 
matter. Accompanied by his suite of officers, he went to Fort Nassau, 
and thence sent to Governor Printz an abstract of the title of the Dutch 
to the domain, and called a council of the Delaware Indians. Sachems 
and chiefs in the council declared the Swedes to be usurpers, and by a 
solenm treaty gave all the land to the Dutch. Then Stuyvesant crossed 
the river, and near the site of New Castle, Del., built a fort, and named 
it Casimer. Eeturning he demolished Fort Nassau. Printz protested 
in vain. He and Stuyvesant held friendly conferences, and agreed to 
" keep neighborly friendship and correspondence together." That was 
in the year 1051. 

Meanwhile the director-general had done much to improve his capital, 
which now had a population of nearly seven hundred persons. He 
found it an irregularh- built and straggling village, without sanitary 
appliances and very little government. Each burgher was a law unto 
hiinself. Various ordinances were now promulgated by the governor 
and enforced Ijy him for the regulation of the construction of buildings 
in reference to street lines ; for the maintenance of order, cleanliness, 
and sobriety ; for the prevention of conflagrations', the support of 
religion, the promotion of morality, and the regulation of emigration and 
trade. Scores of other matters for the general good of society were 
attended to by the director-general, until Manhattan was made a very 
pleasant dwelling-place. Though Stuyvesant was a strict member of the 
Dutch Reformed Church, beliefs and divine worship in any form were 
tolerated. "With a ])atriotic feeling the director-general dropped the 
pretty Indian name of the viUage of Manhattan, and called it New 
Amsterdam. 

Stuyvesant had some unpleasant experience in the spring and summer 



GO TIIK KMI'IIJE STATE. 

of 10)48 witli P.raiult van Sleehteiiliuist,* tlie j)atrooii's coininis.sarv at 
Ivensselaerwyck, avIio assumed an independent position iov "' the 
Colonie." The director-general issued a jiroclaination for tlie ol)serv- 
ance of a fast day tliroughout New jS'etherhmd. The patroon's coni- 
niissary protested against it as an invasion of " the riglits of tlie lord 
])atrooii." Tliis controversy and the fact that illicit trade was carried 
on with tlie ('i)lonie iuduced Stuyvesant to visit Fort Orange at miil- 
summer. lie was loyally rec^eived at the fort, lie sunimoned Van 
Slechtenhorst to answer for liis contempt of tiie (!Oni]iany"s authority. 
Tlie commissary answered by cumplaining of Stuyvesaiit's infringement 
of the privileges of the patroon. Tiie director-general, incensed by tlie 
commissary's words and manner, liad no further oral communication 
with him, hut by writing he forbade him to put up any building within 
the range of the guns of Fort Orange ; to make any new ordinances 
atTecting trade with the Colonie without the assent of tlie officers of the 
company, and declared tiie pledge which the patroons exacted from the 
colonists not to appeal from tlie decisions of the manorial courts a 
" crime." lie also demanded from tiie commissary an animal return to 
him of all tlie affairs of tlie (\)lonie. Then he returned to Manhattan. 

" You act as if you were the 
^- -y t> rt-.e/? ''^"^ "^ ^''*^' jvatroon's Colonie," 

1^- l^'S^.'nf^^/T^ was tlie answer which tlie stul)- 

' born commissary sent after tlie 

siGNATUHE OF VAN sLfxnTENnoRST. h'ate director-gcneral, and persist- 

ed in defying that officer's orders. 
Ill' fiii-Jiade tlie commissary of tlie company to quarry stone or cut timiier 
witiiiii tlie C'olonie, and erected houses close by Fort Orange. Stuyve- 
sant sent troops to restrain A^an Slechtenhorst and to bring Jiini to 
ilanhattan if he would not desist. Tiiey failed to do so. Then the 
commissary was ordered by a peremptory summons to appear at Fort 
Amsterdam tlie next spring. 

In tiie mean time popular discontents were evorysviiere manifest. Tin-; 
?si.\K were compelled to act in behalf of the commonalty, but were 

* Van Slechtenhorst wa.s a native of Guelderland, bold, fiery in disposition, self-willed, 
anil honest. He had been iiii|iointi'<l coniniissary for the yoiiiii^ patroon, whose father, 
Killian van Rens.sclaer, had lately died. His prrsistenl practical a.s.sertion of the inde- 
pendence of Ren.>;.>;elaer\vyek ma<le him a raMklini; thorn in the side of Sniyve-.aiit. 
Among other olTences, he acquired a cession of lands at KiuUskill, which had already been 
granted, and refu-sed to recede. He also purehsiswl lands at Claveraek, opposite, for the 
patroon. He soon got into trouble, and was arrested and confined at Xew Ainster- 
<Iam. He escaped, and .sent his son to explore the KaatslK-rgs in .search of silver. He 
boujrhl tlic land on which the eitv of Trov now stands, and tinallv returned to Hcillind. 



OPPOSITION TO STUYVESANTS ADMINISTRATIOX. 



Gl 



thwarted at ev'erj step by tlic sturdy director. At the next election 
(1()4'.>) tlie energetic Adriaen van der Donck, who had been the schont- 
fiseal of Rensselaerwyck, and Oloff Stevensen van Cortlandt became 
members of tlio Cou^iCiL of Nine. Stuyvesant stontly persisted in main- 
taining his dictatorial power. At the same time he carried on controver- 
sial correspondence with the New Englanders, which was terminated by 
the conference at Hartford already mentioned. 

The contest between The Nine and the director continued. The 



^^^^^^s^: ccjuz24^^^^^ 



V^o-f^^ 



SIGNATURE OF VAN DEU DOXCK. 



latter proceeded with a high hand. He seized the papers of The Nine 
and imprisoned Van der Donck for " calumniating the provincial 
officers."' But the popular desire for reform and freedom could not l)e 
repressed. Finally The Nine, in the name of the commonalty, jsre- 
parod a " Memorial " and a " Remonstrance" to the States-General 
lioldly setting forth the grievances of the people and asking for tiie estab- 
lishment of a burgher government in the colon}' such as their " High 




SIGNATUUE AND SEAI^ OF VAN CORTLANDT 



Mightinesses should consider adapted to the province and resembling 
soniewliat the laudable government of our Fatherland." These papers 
were drawn up by Yan der Donck, and he and two others of The Nine 
took them to Holland to present theiu in jiersoii. 



C2 THE EMPIUE STATE. 

AfTiiin, wlicu Stnyvx'saiit liad concluded liis treaty at Hartford and 
threatened to abolisli The Kixe and rule as an autocrat, the popular 
representatives presented a statement of aSairsin New Netiierland to the 
States-General, and Van der Donck in Holland strongly pleaded the 
canse of the conuuonalty, who yearned for the freer system of govern- 
ment which prevailed in New England. In this memorial and plea Van 
Dinchlagen, the vice-director, and Van Dyke, the fiscal, joined, and 
.Melyii, who had been cruelly persecuted l)y Kieft and Stuyvesant, 
added his powerful support. 

At length, after Stuyvesant had administered the government of 
New Netherland more than four years, continually making arl)itrary 
efforts to repress the spirit of popular freedom, the voice of the com- 
monalty of New Amsterdam and its vicinity was heeded by the College 
of Nineteen, and they informed the headstrong director-general, in the 
spring of 1652, that they had given their assent to the establishment of a 
*' burgher government" on Manhattan — a government like that of the 




SKiNATI UK OK V.VN TIKNIIOVEX. 



free cities of Holland, the officers, Iiowever, to be appointed by the 
governor. The soul of Stuyvesant was troubled by this " imprudent 
intrusting of power ■with the people,'' as he said. 

1)1 February, 1653, New Amsterdam was formally organized as a city 
by the installation of Cornells van Tienhoven,* .schnut ; Arendt van 
Hattem and ^fartin Kregier, hitr(jomasters, and Paul L. Van der Grist, 
.Maximilian v:in (Iheel, Allard Anthonv, William lleui-kman. and Petri- 



* Van Tienhovcn -na.s a conspicuous character in the early history of New Netlierland. 
He came with Van Twillor, became the compaiiy'.s book-keeper, and afterward provincial 
secretary and sdiout-fiscal. IIu pnrclia.sed lands in Westchester, led an exi)e(lilion ajiaiiisl 
the Haritans, made a treaty at Bronx River, and urged Kieft to attack the Indians. 
Retained as provincial .secretary by Stuyvesant, the latter .sent him to Holland a.s his rep- 
resentative. He was .sent to neirotiate willi Virfrinia. also to Xew Haven for the same 
purpose. He suiM-rintended the South River Expedition against the Swedes in 1655. In 
1656 he, a schout-tiscal, was charged with malfeasance in office ; so also was his brother, 
and both were dismissed from the public service, when Coruelis returned to Amstcr- 
dam. 



IMMIGRATIOX OP I^EW ENGLANDERS. 



63 



Wolfertseii van Couwenhoven, schejM'ns* Jacob Kij) was appointed 
secretary to the mniiieipal government. A building known as the City 
Tavern, standing at the head of Coenties Slip, which had been taken for 
the pul)lic nse, was now named tiie State House or City Hall.f The 
citv then contained about seven hundred and fifty inhabitants, and 
embraced the whole island of Manhattan. 

Stuyvesant had scarcely recovered from his chagrin at this turn in 
public affairs M'hen, through the influence of the democratic Tan der 
Donck, he was summoned to appear before the States-General to answer 
concerning his government in New Netherland. This summons amazed 
the Amsterdam Chamber of tlie company. They wrote to Stuyvesant 
to delay liis du])arture from America. Political considerations soon 
afterward caused the revocation of the order, and Stuyvesant never left 
Manhattan until after the sceptre had departed from the Dutch. 




THE FIRST CITY HALI,. 

Another trouble vexed the soul of Peter Stuyvesant. A new element 
of social progress Jiad begun to work vigorously in New Netherland, and 
in harmony with the free spirit of Dutch policy in social and political 
life. '■ Numbers, nay, whole towns," wrote De Laet, the historian,:}: 



* The schotit was a prosecuting attorney, a judge, and a sheriff ; a burgomaster was 
a governing magistrate and a srh-epen was an alderman. 

f Tliis was a large stone building erected by Governor Kicft for the entertainment of 
strangers. He called it his hfirlxry. or house of entertainment. It was kuown as the 
City Tavern after Stuyvesant came, and until he appropriated it to the publie nse. 

t John de Laet was one of the most influential directors of the Dutch "West India 
Company. In 162o he published at Leyden, in a folio, black-letter volume, a History of 
t!if .A'< ir World ; or Description of the West Indies, which he dedicated to the States-Gen- 



G4 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



cUA' 



"to escape from the persecutions uf the ^'c\v Eiiglaiul I'liritaiis, who 
nuule tlieir narrow human creed the liigher law," had come to I^ew ' 
Ketlierhmd to enjoy the theoretic liberty of conscience in (Jlinrch and 
State n)ider I'elgic rule. They had lands assigned them all around 
Manhattan. Jiew Englanders intermarried M'ith the Dutch. Being 
free to act as citizens, they exercised much influence in public affairs. 

More than ten years before Xew Amsterdam became a city an Englir^li 
secretary ((luorgo Baxter, already mentioned) had been employed by the 
director-general. Tlie " strangers" readily adopted the republican ideas ; 
of the Dutcli cummoiialty, and bore a conspicnions part in tlie democratic : 
movements wiiieli gave Stuyvesant so much trouble during the latter i 
years of his administration. Tiie Dutcli sighed for the freedom enjoyed 
ill Fatlierhuid, and the English settlers were determined to exerci.se tlic 
liberty which Britisli subjects then enjoyed under the rule of Cromwell. 
Stuyvesant saw the tidal wave of popular feeling rising, but, tirm in his 

integrity and con- 
victions of the 
righteousness of his 
course, lie main- 
tained his position 
until he was com- 
pelled to yield <>r 
perish. 

liepublicanis^iu, 
like any other truth, 
has remarkable vi- 
tality. It is nourished by persecution. The more Stuyvesant attempted 
to stifle it, the more widely it spread and blossomed. The popular will, 
fully bent on reforms, became bold enough, in the aiitumn of 1(1.");:!, to 
call a convention of nineteen delegates, who represented eight Nillages or 
communities, to assemble in the City Hall at New Amsterdam, ostensibly 
to take measures to scfuire themselves against the depredations of barl)aii- 
ans and jiirates. They met on November :2l)tli. Stuyvesant tried to con- 
trol their action, but they paid very little attention to In's wishes and none 
to his commands ; yet they treated him M'lth great courtesy. Wiien tliey 
adjourned they gave a parting collation, to which the direetor-general 
was invited. Of course he would not sanction their proceedings l)y Ins 
presence. The delegates told him plainly that there would be another 




SKiNATlKK or .loIIN DE I.AK] 



(Till. He (luoli'd larircly from IIuil.>;ou's luivale jounuil. In KiW \w lu'camc a .share- 
holder iu the estate of Heu.<selaerwvek, which the proprietor had divided into livr shares. 
He also became interested in Swannendael, on the shore of Delaware Bay. 



FIRST REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE PROVINCE. C5 

convention soon, and tluit lie might act as lie pleased, and prevent it if 
lie could. 

This revolutionary movement in his capital arou.sed the ire of the 
director-general. lie stormed and threatened, but prudently yielded to 
the demands of the people that he should issue a call for another conven- 
tion, and so give legal sanction for the election of delegates thereto. 
They were chosen, and assembled at the City Hall on December lOth.* 
The object of the convention was to prepare and adopt a true statement 
of ]inl)lic affairs in New Netherland, and a remonstrance against the 
tyrannous rule of the director-general. 

This paper was drawn up by Baxter, Stuyvesant's former secretary, f 
and signed by every delegate. After expressions of loyalty to the States- 
General, it proceeded with a narrative, arranged under six heads, of the 
grievances which the colonists had endured. That narrative was a severe 
indictment of Stuyvesant for maladministration or mismanagement of 
public affairs. The jiaper was sent to the governor with a demand for a 
'• categorical answer" to each of its heads. 

Stuyvesant met this document with his usual pluck. He denied the 
right of some of the delegates to seats in the convention. He denounced 
the whole thing as the wicked work of the English, and expressed a 
doubt whether " George Baxter, the author, knew M-hat he was about." 
He wanted to know if there was no one among the Dutch in New 
Netherland '• sagacious and expert enough to draw up a remonsti-ance to 
the director and council ;" and he sev^erely reprimanded the city govern- 
ment of Xew Amsterdam for " seizing this dangerous opportunity for 
conspiring with the English [with whom Holland was then at war], who 



* As this was tlic first real ri'iircsfntative assembly in the great State of New York, 
I give here the names in full of the delegates and the districts wMch they represented. 
The metropolis (New Amsterdam) was represented by Arendt van Hattem, Martin 
Kregier, and P. L.Van der Grist ; Breuckelen (Brooklyn), by Frederick Lubbertscn, Paul 
Van der Beech, and William Beeckeman ; Flushing, by John Hicks and Tobias Flake : 
Newtown, by Robert Coe and Thomas Hazard ; Heemstede (Hempstead), by William Wash- 
burn and John Somers ; Amersfoort (Flatlands), by P. Wolfertsen van Couwenhoven, 
Jan Strycker, and Thomas Swartwout : Jlidwout (Flatbush), by Elbert Elbertsen and 
Thomas Spicer ; Gravesend, by George Baxter and J. Hubbard. 

t George Baxter was an exile from New England, and was appointed English secretary 
ami interpreter by Kieftin]C42. Stuyvesant retained him as .such, and he gave the 
director efficient service for several years. He became a leader in seditious proceedings 
at Gravrseud, where he hoisted an English flag. He was arrested and imprisoned at 
New Amsterdam, but escaped, went to New England, and thence to London in 1G63, 
where he stimulated the animosity of the English against tlie Dutch. With Samuel 
Maverick (who had lived in JIassachusetts from his boyhood) and Scott he advised the 
Council of Foreign Plantations as to the best means for subduing New Netherland. 



(JC TllH KMl'IKK STATK. 

M-ero ever " Iiiitchiiifi iiiiscliief, hut never perfonuinfj their promises, 
and wlio miirlit to-iiiorni\v ally themselves with the Xortli," meaning'; 
Sweden iuid Hcnniark. 

This hliister did nut turn tlie convention from its purpose. Deeckniaii, 
of Breuckelen, was sent to tell the governor that if he refused to consider • 
tlie several points of the remonstraiK-e they would a]i])eal to the States- 
(ieiieral. Tins threat enraged Stuyvesant, and seizing his heavy cane, 
lie ordered Beecknum to leave his presence. The plucky ambassador of 
the convention folded his anus and silently defied the governor. When 
Stuyvcsant's wrath had subsided he jiolitely begged his visitor to excuse > 
his sudden ebullition of passion, assuring him that he had great jjersonal 
regard for him. But he was less courteous toward the convention as a 
body. He ordered the members to dispei'se on pain of incurring his 
" high displeasure." " "We derive our authority," he said, " from God , 
and the company, not from a few ignorant subjects ; and we alone can 
call the iidiabitants together." The convention executed its threat, and 
ai)pealed to the States-General. 

"While thus perplexed by domestic annoyances, the tranquillit\- of the 
director-gcnerars •' foreign relations" was seriously disturbed. The 
pacific and " neighborly" Governor Print/, had left Xew Sweden, and was 
succeeded in office by John Ilisingh, a more M'arlike magistrate, who 
came to the Delawai'e bringing with him some soldiers commanded by 
the bold Swell Sliute. Tliese speedily appeared before Fort ("asinier, 
which Stuyvesant had built, on Trinity Sunday, 1654. " What can 1 I 
do? I have no ]>owdcr," .said the commander of the little stronghold 
to the Dutch settlers who Hocked to it for protection. lie could do 
nothing ; so he walked out of the fort, leaving the gate wide open, and 
shaking hands M'ith Sliutc and his men, welcomed them as fricTids. The 
Swedes tired two shots over the fort in token of its capture, and then 
blotting out its Dutch garrison and its name, occupied it and called it 
Fort Trinity. 

When news of this event reached Stuyvesant he was made very angry 
and ])erj)lexed, for he was hourly expecting an attack from a British 
force, and lie was at his wit's end. But the cloud soon passed. The 
English did not come, for the war was suddenly closed by treaty. Then 
Stuyvesant made a voyage to the West Indies for the purpose of estab- 
lishing a trade between New Ketherland and those islands. Before he 
left he delivered to the authorities of the city of New Amsterdam the 
painted coat-of-arms of the municipality, the seal, and the silver signet 
which the College of Nineteen had just sent over. They soon afterward 
sent an order to the director-general to retake Fort Casimer and to wipe 



THE SWEDES SUBDUED AXD ABSORBED. 



67 




SEAL OF NEW AMSTERDAM. 



out the stain wliicli the '' infaiiious sm-render" of tliat post had imparted 
to Belgic heroism. lie M'as also ordered to aiiniliilate Swedish dominion 
on both sides of the Delaware. 

This important task the director-general undertook in the summer of 
1655, and accomplished it speedily and 
without bloodshed. After a day of 
fasting and prayer (August 25th), and 
" after sermon" on Sunday, Septem- 
ber 5th, a stpiadron of seven vessels, 
liearing more than six hundred sol- 
diers (mostly volunteers), sailed from 
New Aiusterdam for the Delaware. 
Tlie tlag-shi]) was the Balance, com- 
manded by the valiant Frederick de 
Konick. In her cabin might have 
i)een seen the director-general, Vice- 
director Xicasius de Sille, and Domi- 
nie Megopoleusis. The sipiadron 

ascended the Delaware. The troops landed not far from Fort Christina, 
and an ensign and a drummer were sent to demand the surrender of 
Fort Casimer. This demand was speedily complied with. Then the 
ramniander drank the health of Stuyvesant in a glass of Rhenish 
wine ; and so ended the expedition, without firing a gnn or shedding 
;i drop of blood. So also ended Swedish dominion on the Delaware, 
;nid " Kew Sweden" perished in a day. Like Alfred of England, 
the director-general wisely made citizens of many of the conquered 
Swedes, who generally Iieeame the most loyal friends of the Dutch. 
They prospered exceedingly, and when, nearly thirty years afterward, 
they welcomed "William Pemi as their governor, they declared that it was 

the happiest day of their 
lives. 

During the absence of 
the expedition jS'ew Am- 
sterdam was menaced with 
destruction. Yan Dyck, 
a former civil officer, de- 
tected an Indian woman 
The fury of her trilje was kindled, 
fhe long peace with the barbarians was suddenly broken. Before 
daybreak one morning almost two thousand River Imlians in sixty 
eanoes appeared before New Amsterdam. They landed, and with the pre- 




SIGN'ATIUE OF DE SILLE. 



tealing jieaches and .slew her. 



C8 . TIIK EMPIRE STATE. 

tence of looking for hostile Indians tliev distributed tliemselves tlirouirh 
the town and ijroko into several houses in search of tlie murderer. The 
alarmed citizens held a council at the fort and summoned the Indian 
leaders before them. The latter agreed to leave the city and pass over 
to Xutteu (Governf>r*s') Island before sunset. They broke their ]iromisos, 
shot A'an Dyck, jnenaced others, and tilled the iniial)itants with alarm. 
Tiie citizens flew to arms and drove the Indians to their canoes, wlien 
they crossed over the Ilmlson Hiver and ravajreil a large region in New 
Jersey and on Staten Island. "Within three days one hundred white 
people were slain, one hundred and fifty were made captive, and more 
than three hundred estates were utterly mined. 

Stuyvesant returned from the Delaware when the excitement in Xew 
Amsterdam was at its height. Tie soon brought order out of confusion. 
Yet distant settlements were broken up, the iiduibitants flying in fear to 
^Manhattan for protection. To prevent a like calamity in the future, 
Stuyvesant issued a proclamation ordering all who lived in secluded 
places in the country to gather themselves into villages " after the 
fashion of our New England neighbors.'' Tiie Dutch had very little 
trouble with the Indians afterward while the former remained masters of 
New Netherland. 

Excepting troubles occasioned by the arbitrar}- rule of the director- 
general, the religious intolerance practised and fostered by him, and 
occasional outside pressure irom tlie Puritans and otiiers, New Nether- 
land enjoyed jieace and ])rospcrity for almost ten years after the conque.«t 
of New Sweden and tiio suppression of Indian hostilities. 

There was some serious trouble at one time in 1659 with the bar])arians 
at Eso])US, in Qiresent) Ulster County, among whom the Dutch had made 
a settlement. The latter brought a dreadful calamity that befell them 
upon themselves. Some Indians, sleeping off the effects of a drunken 
carouse, were wantonly tired u])on by the soldiers of a Dutch garrison on 
the site of Rondout, and several Mere killed. The Indians flew to arms. 
Farms were desolated, buildings Avere burned, cattle and horses were 
killed, and many human beings perished. Stuyvesant, when lie heard 
of the trouble, hastened to Esopus and soon quelled the great disturbance. 

The Dutch Mere also much disturbed in Kiol) by claims made for the 
proprietor of Maryland to the whole region embraced in New SMeden. 
An embassy composed of two sturdy b\n-gliers — Ilcermaiis and 
Waldron — was sent to Maryland to confer Mith the authorities there. 
Dining M-ith Secretary Calvert, they were surprised by his claiming that 
ISfaryliind exti'uded to the limits of New England. 

'■ Where, then. Mould remain New Netherland f. asked the envoys. 



SOCIAL ASPECTS OF NEW AAISTERDA3I. 



69 



" I do uot know,'' replied the secretary, with provoking calmness. 

The envoys were provoked. They ntterly " denied, disowned, and 
rejected ' ' the claim for Lord Baltimore, and ^vith great spirit maintained 
that of the Dutch. The con- 
ference was ended without 
any immediate results, and 
the envoys returned to Xew 
Amsterdam. 

The Xew Englanders were 
again pressing territorial 
claims, and within and with- 
out Xew Xetherland the 
Anglo-Sa.xon progressive ele- 
ment was menacing the integ- 



rity of the Dutch realm in 
America. Xew Amsterdam 
increased in wealth and popu- 
lation. A wooden palisade 
or "wall,"' extending from 
river to river along the line of 
(present) Wall Street, from 
which it derives its name, was 

constructed. A village was founded on a fertile plain in the upper part 
of Manhattan Island, and it was called '" Harlem."' It was planted 
there '' for the pi-omotion of agricultural gardening — -and the amuse- 




A DUTCH WIXD-jnLL. 




.\ DUTCH PLEASUKE WAGOX. 



ment for the people of Xew Amsterdam." They erected a wind-mill 
there like those in Holland. Between the city and the village might 
frequently be seen farm wagons on the only road, laden with garden 



70 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

])ro(lii('ts, and oc^casionally a Dutcli jileasure \va(jrm po familiar to travel- 
lers in Iloilaiid, at tliat time, eonvcyiiiji; a ])art of tiie family to a 
social gathering. Tiio little city contained many happy homes, where 
peojile of ohcei'ful hut often uncultivated minds and affectionate hearts 
domiciled, and, life was enjoyed in a dreamy, quiet hlissfulness which is 
quite unknown in these days of hustle and noise. Very little attention 
was given to political matters hy the commonalty or the mass of the 
people, hut there were many thoughtful men and women who were 
restive imder the nile of the director-general. Some of them declared 
they would he willing to endure English rule for the sake of English 
liherty. They were soon given an ojiportunity to try the experiment. 



AN ASYLUM FOR THE OPPRESSED OFFERED. 71 



CHAPTER YI. 

A CRISIS ill tlie affairs of New Netherland now approached. Mon- 
archy was restored in England in 1660, and a son of the decapitated 
Charles I. was set npon the throne of his father as Charles II. This had 
not Ijcen done by the voice of even a majority of the people, and the 
new nionareli, wisliiiijj to conciliate all parties, proclaimed " liberty to 
tender consciences" in all his dominions. But this was only a State 
trick, as the sad ex]ierience of the Dissenters soon tanght them. 

The Dutch West India Company determined to follow the example of 
King Charles l>y expressing '' tenderness" for consciences, for their own 
benefit. They clainicd the domains of Xew Jersey as a part of the realm 
of New Netherland. It was almost wholly unoccupied by settlers. De- 
siring to allure the disajipointed and persecuted Dissenteis in England 
to their domain, they pre[)ared a charter, which was approved by the 
States-General, to meet the aspirations of tender consciences. The 
States-General passed an act in February, lOfSl, granting to " all Chris- 
tian people of tender consciences, in England or elsewhere oppressed, 
full liberty to erect a colony in the West Indies, between New England 
and Virginia, in America, now within the jnrisdiction of Peter Stuyve- 
sant, the States-General's governor for the Dutch West India Company." 
All concerned were forbidden to hinder Dutch colonists, and were 
enjoined to afford them " all favorable help and assistance where it shall 
be needful." 

This widening of the tents of toleration and the freedom of the citizens 
again tronbled the soul of the aristocratic Stnyvesant, who was bigotedly 
loyal to the doctrines and discipline of the Dutch Peformed Church, 
and he now began those petty persecutions already alluded to which 
made the Manhattan people more than ever displeased with his adminis- 
tration. He seemed to have a special dislike of the Quakers, and dis- 
ciplined them with imprisonments and banishments. To a fiery temper 
like that of Stnyvesant their imperturljability was an offence and annoy- 
ance. Tlieii' serenity of deportment made him angry. ]5ut his persecu- 
tions had very little effect in suppressing the aspirations of the people. 

Emigrants from Old and New England settled here and there between 
the Hudson and Delaware rivers, and in 1662 a colony of Mennonites from 
Ildllaiid — followers of Simon Meniio, who were Anabaptists — settled on 



72 



TlIK E.Ml'IKE STATE. 



the TTore Kill, in the refijioii of ruined Swaancnclacl (see p. ), and 

there furnied an association and adopted seventeen articles of agreement 
for their government. The Association was composed of niarried men, 
at least twenty-four years of age, and out of debt. No clergyman was 
admitted to the Association. Their religious rites were few and simple. 
Desirous of nuiintaining harmony, they excluded '' all intractable people. 
— such as those in communion with the Roman See ; usurious Jews ; 
English stiff-necked Quakers ; Puritans ; foolhardy believers in the 
^[illennium, and obstinate modern pretenders to revelation." Witii 
Peter Plockhoy as their leader, they flourished until the colony was 
plundered and ruined hy the English, in Kiti-i, •' not s])aring even a 
raile. "' 

Another Dutch colony was founded on the Delaware in 1656 by the 
city of Amsterdam and named New Amstel. The land was Ijought by 
the city from the Dutch West India Company. It suffered man}- mis- 
fortunes, and finally perished with New Netherland. This colony was 




SICXATl UK OK \VII,1.I.\.M UKKCK.M.VX. 

planted under Stuyvesant's jurisdiction, who, in order to have more 
direct and sure control of its affairs, appointed William Beeckman Vice- 
Director and ('ommissary of New Amstel.* 

In the summer of ItJti.'} the peace which had reigned at Esopus for 
three years was suddenly broken. A new village called Wiltwyck (now 
Jvingston) had been built up, and in comfortable log cottages the inhab- 
itants had been living in fancied security for some time. The village 



* William Bt'ockman was born in Overy-ssel in 1623, and came to New Netherland in the 
same ship with Stiiyvcsanl. Ilis wife was Catharine do Bergli, by whom he had six 
children, one of whom married a son of the governor, Nichohis William Stuyve.sant. 
Becekman wa.s a sehejien or alderman of New Amsterdam, secretary and viee-director of 
New Amstel, where he managed judiciously in diplomaoy with tlu' Ensrlish representatives 
of Maryland, lie was at one time eonuiiissary at Esopus. lie was aldcrm.iii in Ui7i) under 
EnL'Iish rule, havinjr been burfromaster when the Dutch la.st posse.s.sed the city. Here- 
tired from ]nililic life in 1G96, and died in 1707. in the eijrhty-tifth year of his age. 
'■ William" and " Bccknian" streets, in New York, derived their names from him. and 
still retain them. 



WAR AVITir THE INDIAXS-KEVOLT ON LONG ISLAND. 73 

was palisaded, and at the mouth of Rondout Creek the Dutch built a 
ronduit — a redoultt — which made the Indians suspicions of their inten- 
tions. One day in early June, while the men were working in the fields 
and the village gates were wide open, bands of barbarians entered, and 
with friendly pretence offered beans and corn for sale at the doors of the 
cottages. Suddenly they began to plunder, burn, and murder. As the 
men rushed from the fields toward their Ijlazing dwellings they were shot 
down. The living men were finally rallied by the sellout, Swartwout, 
and drove the Indians away. Twenty-one lives had been sacrificed, 
nine persons were wounded, and forty-five, mostly women and children, 
were carried away captives. 

Great alarm was spread throughout the province, and expeditions were 
sent against the Esopns IndiaTis from Fort Amsterdam and Fort Orange. 
These chased the offenders far into the wilderness. Thirty miles from 
Wiltwyck they destroyed an Indian fort and rescued many of the 
captives. 

The power of the barbarians M'as now broken, and it was soon crushed. 
Meanwhile the hostilities of the Indians among themselves on the borders 
of the white settlements made the Europeans constantly fearful and 
vigilant. At the same time the Connecticut people were continually 
encroaching. There was a revolt on Long Island, and the very existence 
of New Xetherland was threatened. There were ever premonitions of 
such an event, which actually occurred the next year. 

Informed late in 16C3 that King Charles had granted to his brother 
James, Duke of York, the whole of Long Island, several of the principal 
English settlements combined in forming a sort of provisional govern- 
ment in that region. There was then among them Captain John Scott, 
who had been a disturber of the peace for several years. lie had lately 
come back from England with pretended powers. He had claimed that 
the Indians had sold to him a large portion of Long Island, and he issued 
fraudulent deeds. This man the combined English settlements made 
their provisional president imtil " His Majesty's mind should be known.'' 
With an armed party he sought to force Dutch settlements to join the 
league, but failed. At the begiiming of 1064 Scott departed for Eng- 
land after a conference at Hempstead with representatives of Stuy vesant, 
when he informed them that the Duke of York was resolved to possess 
himself not only of Long Island, l)ut of the whole of New Netherland. 
Stuyvesant was startled and perjdexed by this announcement of the 
" usurper," as he called Scott, and he asked the advice of his Council 
and the munici]ial authorities of New Amsterdam. They recommended 
the complete fortifying of the city. The director-general tlien ordered 



74 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 




;m election of delegates for a General Provincial Assemhlv, to meet in 
New Anistenlani in Ai)ril. Tliey a.ssenil)led in tlie (Jity Jlali. There 
were delegates from Fort Orange, Rensselaerwyck, Esopiis, and all tiie 

Dutch settlements ; init they were 
powerless to avert the impending 
l)l(i\v, wliicii was to anniliilate Dutcli 
(hmiinion in North America.* 

The profligate British monarcli 
resolved to I'ob the Dutch of all New 
Netherland. With no more I'iglit 
to the domain than had the arch- 
tempter to '■ all the kingdoms of the 
earth," but governed by the ethics 
of the mailed hand — " might makes 
right" — and that cannons are the 
" last arguments of kings," he gave 
to his royal brother, the Duke of 
York, a patent for the Dutch terri- 
tory — •" all tlie lands and i-ivers from 
the west side of Connecticut River 
' The patent included f >ong Island, 





■n;ni;MiAS van uhnsselaeu. 



to the east side of Delaware Bay. 
Staten Island, and all the adjacent islands. 

As Lord High .;Vdmiral of the Royal Navy, 
four ships-of-war for service; 
in asserting his claim by 
force of arms, if necessary. 
The king provided four hun- 
dred and fifty regular soldiers 
for the same purpose, and 

intrusted tlie command of the expedition to Colonel liiciiard Nicolls, a 
stanch Royalist and court favorite, who had served under the great 



tlie duke at once detached 



SIGNATURE OF ItRIIAltl) MfOLI.S. 



* This Gfueriil Provisional A.s.scnibly was prosidcd over liy Jcromias van Rc'ns.selaer, 
the .st'conil ]iatn)on ami director of Kcii.sselaerwyck. !Xt'W Amsterdai\i was roprcsi-utcti 
by Coriiclis Stceinvyck, buriioiiiasiLT, and Jacob Badikcr ; Rens.selaerwyck, by Jercniias 
van Henssi'lacr and Dink van Sthclluync. its secretary ; Port Oranire (All)any), by -Jan 
Verbeck and Oerrilt van Skelitenhorst ; Breuekelen, by \Villiani liredenbent and .\lbert 
C'ornelis Wantenaar ; Midwoul. by .Ian Stryeker and William Ciuilliaiis ; Aniersliiorl. by 
EIl)ert Elberlsen and Coerl Stcven.sen ; New Ulreclit, by David .lochemsen and C'ornelis 
Heeekniaii ; Boswyek (Huslnviek), by Jan van Cleef and Gyshcrt Teunisseii ; AViltwyek, 
by Thonia.s Chambers and Gysliert van Imbroeck ; Bergen, by Enirelberl Steenhuy.sen 
and Hermann Smceman ; and Staten Island, by David de Marest and Pierre Billon. Tliis 
was the third and last iiojiular a.s.senibly convened at New Amsterdam. 



:^^^^ 




A P.KITISII ARMAMENT APPEARS. 75 

Marslial Tnrenne, and liore the commission of governor of the province 

after it sliould 1)0 secured to the duke. Associated witli Nicolls were 

Sir Ttohert Carr, Colonel George C'artwright, and Samuel JMaverick, as 

royal conmiissioners, instructed 

to visit the several colonies 

in New England and demand 

their assistance in reducing tlie 

Dutch to sulimission. (/"^-v \ 

Stuyvesant had heon assured / J ^~ — ^ 
],y the misled Amsterdam i^ ^(f^-^ f^g^Jp^^ 
Chamher that no danger need ^ ^ ^ ' '</'>' •-r. 
beappreliended from the Brit- 

. 1 -.■.• r ■, I , , SIGNATURES OF CARK AND fAKTWRKillT. 

ish expedition, tor it had been 
sent out to visit the English- 
American colonies to settle affairs among them and to introduce ejiisco- 
pacy. Soothed by this assurance, the work of fortifying New Amster- 
dam was suspended, vigilance was relaxed, and the director-general went 
up to Fort Orange at near the close of July to look after affairs there. 

This dreamed-of security was suddenly dispelled. Early in August 
intelligence came from Boston that the expedition Avas actually on the 
New England coast on its way to New Amsterdam. Stuyvesant, 
apprised of the fact, hastened back to his capital, and the municipal 
authorities ordered one third of the inhabitants, without exceptions, to 
labor every third day in fortifying the city. A permanent guard was 
organized, and a call was made on the provincial government for artillery 
and ammunition. Twenty great guns and a thousand pounds of powder 
were immediately furnished. But the inhabitants did not work with 
much entlinsiasin in preparations for defence, for English influence and 
tlie director-general's temper and deportment had alienated the people, 
and they were indifferent. Some of them regarded the ex))ected 
invaders as welcome friends. Stuyvesant had sliorn himself of strength, 
and when now, in his extremity, lie began to make concessions to the 
people, it was too late. The sceptre liad departed from him. Loyal to 
his masters in Holland, he resolved to defend the city until the last, and 
entreated the jieople to sustain him. 

At the close of August the British armament anchored outside the 
Narrows — tlie entrance to the harbor of New Amsterdam — and on Satur- 
day, the 3()th, Nicolls sent to Stuyvesant a summons to surrender the 
fort and city. He also sent a proclamation to the inhabitants promising 
perfect security of person and jiroperty to all wlio should submit to 
"His Majesty's Government." Stuyvesant immediately called his 



TO Tin: K.MI'IIJK STATK. 

fouiifil and tlio l)ur<;oiiiasters to a conference at tlie fort, lie \voii](l not 
allow tlio terms offered liv TS'icolls to tlui i)eo2)le to be comiimiiicated to 
them. " It would not be approved in I'atherland," he said, for he 
lielieved " calainitons c'onse(piences"' w<Mild folhnv by inakinfj them insist 
n])on capitulating. There mms also a meeting of other city otHcers and 
the burghers, at the City Hall, who determined to prevent tlic enemy 
from surprising the town, if possililc, and yet they leaned toward 
submission, seeing resistance would be in vain. 

The Sabbath passed by and no answer was returned to the summons 
of Nicolls. The people, uncertain as to what was going on, became 
much excited. On Monday the citizens assembled, when the burgo- 
masters explained to them the terms offered by Nicolls. This was not 
sufficient. They demanded a sight of the proclamation. Stuyvesaiit 
went in ]>erson to the meeting, and told the people that such a course 
woidd '■ be disapproved in Fatherland."' They M-ere not satisfied, and 
clamored for a sight of the proclamation. 

Meanwhile, Governor Winthrop, of Connecticut, who was on friendly 
t(;rms with Stuyvesaiit and had joined the scpuidron, received from 
Nicolls a letter repeating his terms offered in the ])roclaination, and 
authorizing Winthrop to assure the Dutch governor that Hollanders, 
citizens or merchants, should have eipial privileges with the English if 
he would quietly surrender. 

^Vinthrop, under a flag of truce, delivered this letter to Stuyvesant ont- 
side the fort and urged liim to surrender. The proud director-general 
])romptly refused, and withdrawing to the Council-room within he 
opened and read the letter before the assembled Council and burgo- 
masters. They urged him to conmiunicate the letter to the people, as 
'* all which regarded the public welfare ought to be made public." 

The governor stoutly refused to yield. The Council and- burgomasters 
as stoutly insisted upon the just measure, when the director-general, 
who had fairly earned the title of '" Peter the Headstrong," unai)le to 
control his passions, tore the letter in pieces and threw it upon the lloor. 
When the puojile who were at work on the palisades heard of this scene 
they dropped their implements and hastened to the City Hall. Thence 
they sent a deputation to Stuyvesant to demand the letter. In vain he 
attempted, in person, to satisfy the burghers and urge them to go on 
with the fortitication. They would not listen to him, but uttered curses 
against his administration. 

" The letter ! tlic letter '." they shouted. 

The governor stormed. The people shouted more vociferously : 

"The letter ! the letter !"' 



SURRENDER OF XEAV NETHEHLAXD DEMANDED. .. 

The bnri^liers were on tlie verge of open insurrection. To avert sueli 
a calamity, the sturdy old governor yielded. lie allowed the fragments 
of the torn letter to be picked up from the floor of the Council chandier 
and a fair copy to be made and given to the people ; and he sent off in 
silence that night, through the dangerous strait of Hell Gate, in a small 
Dutch vessel, a despatch to the Amsterdam Chamber, saying : '' Long 
Island is gone and lost; the capital cannot hold out long." This was 
Stuyvesant's last otticial despatch as Governor of New Netherland. 

Receiving no reply from Stuyvesant, Nicolls landed some troops and 
anchored two ships-of-war in the channel between Fort Amsterdam and 
the Governor's Island. Stuyvesant saw all this from the ramparts of his 
fort, but -would not yield. He knew the extreme weakness of the fort 
and city, yet his proud will would not readily bend. Yielding at length 
to the pei'suasions of Dominie Megopolensis* (who had led him from the 
ramparts), he sent a deputation to XicoUs with a letter, in which he said 
that, tliough he felt bound to " stand the storm," he desired, if possible, 
to arrange an accommodation. Nicolls curtly replied : 

" To-morrow I will speak 
with you at ilanhattan." -T /-vt^ ^ /? ^ 

Stuyvesant as curtly replied : .^^ ^^^iyJ-^^xd^S) ^ifHei^M^^^f^j^ 

'' Friends will be M'elcome ^ L/ ^ 

if they come in a friendly sKiNATtuE <.f .tohx megopolensis. 

manner." 

" I shall come with ships aiul soldiers," answered Xicolls. " Raise 
the white flag of peace at the fort, and then something may be con- 
sidered." 

When this imperious message became known men, women, and chil- 
dren flocked to the director-general beseeching him to submit. The 
brave old soldier said : " I would much rather lie carried out dead ;" 



* Dr. John Megopolensis, a learnecl clergyman, was brought to Rensselaerwyek with 
his faniilv from Holland at the expense of the patroon, and employed there as a clergy- 
man for six years, when he went home. He soon came back, became a patentee of Flat- 
bush, on Long Island, and organized a church there. His jealous3'of and intolerant con- 
duct toward the Lutherans called an admonition from Holland. He was a man greatly 
beloved by Stuyvesant, and became the governor's most trusted adviser in public affairs. 
He accompanied Stuyvesant on his expedition against the Swedes in 1655. His earnest 
missionary spirit caused him to form a warm friendship for Father Le Moyne. the French 
Roman Catholic missionary among the Indians. He bore communications to Nicolls 
from Stuyvesant, and ad\'ised the surrender of the province to the English. After the 
surrender lie and the English chaplain preached alternately in the church at the fort. lie 
preached on Long Island also. Dominie ilegopoleusis died in New York, when his 
■widow retiu'ned to Holland. 



:s 



TIIK KMl'IHK .STATK. 



l)ut wlicii tlic city aiitliorities, tlie elcrfjy, ainl tlic principal iiiliabituiits 
of the city, and even liis own son, ]>altliazar, urged liini to yield, " Peter 
the Headstrong," who had a heart " as big as an ox and a head that 
would have set adamant to scorn," consented to caiiitulate. 

( )ii the morning of September Sth, ICitU, the last of the Dutch gov- 
ernors of Xew York led his soldiers from the fort down Beaver Lane to 
the place of embtirkation for Holland. An hour later an English cor- 
poral's guard took possession of the fort and raised over it the red cross 
of St. George, when its name was changed to Fort James, in honor of 
the duke. Nicolls and Carr, with nearly two hundred soldiers, then 
entered the city, when the burgomasters duly proclaimed the former the 
dei>uty-governor of the province, which, with the city of -New Amster- 
dam, he named " Xew York" in honor of the duke's first or Entrlish 







^ 



/ ^ 




SIGNATURES OF STlYAEr.VNT AXO HIS SErHETAHY, VAX UrYVEN".* 

title. The surrender of the garrison at Fort Orange soon followed, and 
tlie name of tiiat post was changed to '" AUiaiiy" in honor of the duke's 
second or Scotch title. Long Island was named " Yorkshire," and the 
region now known as Xew Jersey was named "Albania." Very soon 



* CoriH-lis v.iii Ruyven wa« appoinlcd provincial sccretarj' in 1653, and jHTforincd 
excellent service for Governor Stuyvesant for aljout eleven years. He w;is eniployeil in 
iliploniacy at various points in the ])rovinee, on the South Kiver and at Hartford. He 
was one of a committee who carried the letter from Governor Stuyvesant to Colonel 
NicoUs consentins to a surrender of the province to the English. Above is the signature 
of Van Ruyven signed officially below that of Stuyvesant to a Dutch document in my 
possession, dated May, 1664. The document bears the seal of Xew Xetherland. seen on 
page 27 of this volume. Stuyvesant also had an English secretary — George Ba.\ter — for 
a few vears. 



GO^^;R^'ME^'T of xf.w xetherlaxd. ~9 

everv part of Xew Netherland quietly subinitted to the English, and so 
passed away forever Dutch dominion in North America. 

The government of New Netherland under Dutch nde was little better 
than a caricature of the political system under which the Dutch colonists 
had lived happily in their native land. The province during its whole 
career of forty years had been controlled by a close commercial corpora- 
tion, whose chief aim was the selfish one of pecuniary profit. The 
magistrates sent to preside over its public affairs were selected as sup- 
posed fit representatives of the great monopoly's aims and interests, and 
are not to be judged by the standard of those in power, whose chief aim 
is the happiness of the people and the building up of a State on the per- 
manent foundations of -wisdom and justice. The Dutch then i as now i were 
distinguished for their honesty, integrity, industry, thrift, and frug;dity. 




>-EW AMSTERDAM, 1664 

The purity of their morals and the decorousness of their manners were 
always conspicuous. This may, perhaps, be justly ascribed to the influ- 
ence of their women, who were devoted wives and mothers and modest 
maidens. The women were remarkable for their executive ability in 
managing affairs, and their housekeeping was perfect in cleanliness and 
order. 

As population and wealth increased at Xew Amsterdam mnch taste 
was frequently displayed in their dwellings. At the time of the sur- 
render the city, within the palisades, or below TVall Street, contained 
about three hundred houses and fully fifteen hundred inhal)itants. 

Colonel Nicolls described it as "'the best of His Majesty's towns in 
America.'' At first the houses were built of logs ; the roofs were 
thatched with reeds and straw ; the chimneys were made of wood, and 
tlie light of their windows entered through oiled paper. Finally the 
thatched roofs and wooden chinmeys gave place to tiles and shingles and 



80 



THE EMPIRE STATK. 



brick. Tlic l)cttei' liouses Avero built of l)riok imported from irolLiiul, 
\intil some oiiteriirising citizens cstiil)lishe(l a brickyard on the island 
durinuf the administration of Stuvvesant. 



; ml I 




3 







A COTTAGE AT NKW AMSTKKUAM. 



Every house was surrounded by a fjarden, in whicli the chief vegetable 
cultivated M'as cabbage, and the principal flowers were tulips. The 
houses M-ere plainly but sometimes richly furnished. It is said that the 
first carpet — a Turkey rug — seen in the city i)elonged to Sarah Oort, 
wife of the famous Captain Kidd. The clean floors were strewn daily 
with Mdiite beach sand wrought into artistic forms by the skilful use of 
the broom. Huge oaken chests filled with household linen of domestic 
inannfactnre were seen in a corner in every room, and in another corner 
a triangular cupboard with a glass door, sometimes, in which were 
displayed shining pewter and other plates. The wealthier citizens 
sometimes had china tea-sets and solid silver taidcards, punch bowls, 
porringers, ladles, and spoons. Tea had only lately found its way to Kew 
York. Good horses were rare until they began to import them from 
New England, but their swine and cows were generally of excellent 
quality. There were no carriages until after the revolution of l(iS8. 
The first liacknc^y coach .seen in the city of New York was imported in 
1090. 

Clocks and watches were ahnost unknown. Time was measured by 
sun-dials and honr-gla.'^ses. The habits of the people were so regular 
that they did not need clocks and watches. They arose at cock-crowing, 
breakfasted at sunrise, and dined at eleven o'clock. At nine o'clock in 



DOMESTIC CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 81 

the evening thev all said tlieir prayers and went to bed. Dinner-parties 
were unknown, but tea-parties were frequent. Tliese parties began at 
three o'clock in the afternoon in winter, and ended at si.x o'clock, when 
the partici])ant8 went home in time to attend to the milking of the cows. 
In every house were spinning-wheels, large and small, for making 
threads of wool and flax ; and it was the pride of every family to Iiave 
an ample supply of honie-tnade linen and Avoollen cloth. The women 
knit, sjiun, and wove, and were steadily employed. Nobody was idle. 
Kohody was anxious to gain wealth. A man worth $1000 was regarded 
as rich. All practised thrift and frugality. Books were rare luxuries, 
and ill most houses the Bible and prayer-book constituted the stock of 
literature. The M'eekly discourses of the clergymen satisiied their intel- 
lectual wants, while their own hands, industriously employed, satisfied 
all tlieir physical uecessities. Utility was as plainly stamped upon all 
their labors as is the maker's name upon silver spoons. Yet they were 
a cheerful people, and enjoyed rollicking fun during hours of leisure and 
social intercourse. These were the " good 
old days" in the city of New York — 
days of simplicity, comparative inno- 
cence and positive ignorance, when the 
commonalty no more suspected the earth 
of the caper of turning over like a bull 
of yarn every day than Stuyvesant did 
the Puritans of candor and honesty. 

" The pioneers of New York," says 
Brodhead, " left their impress deeply 
upon the State. Far-reaching com- 
merce, M-hich had made old Amsterdam the flag of uoi.lakd. 
the Tyre of the seventeenth century, 

early ])rovoked the envy of the colonial neighbors of New Amsterdam, 
and ill the end made her the emporium of the Western world. . . . 
Cherished birthdays yet recall the memories of the genial anniversaries 
of the Fatherland ; and year by year the people are invited to render 
tlianks to their God, as their fathers were invited, long before Man- 
hattan was known, and while New England was yet a desert. These 
forefathers humbly Avorshipped the King of kings, while they fearlessly 
rejected the kings of men. 

'' The emigrants who first explored the coasts and reclaimed the soil 
of New Netherland, and bore the flag of Holland to the wigwam of the 
Iroquois, were generally blufl:, plain-spoken, earnest, yet unpresumptuous 
men, who spontaneously left their native land to better tlieir condition 




^1 



82 rilK E.Ml'lHE STATE. 

and hind another provlnfo to the United Xctherlands. Tliey hronght 
over with them tlie lihoral ideas and lionest maxims and homely virtnes 
of their country. Tiiey introduced their churcli and their schools, their 
dominies and their school-masters. They carried along with tliem their 
huge clasped Bibles, and left them heirlooms in their families. . . . 
The Dutch province always had both popular freedom and public spirit 
enough to attract M'itliin its borders voluntary immigrants from the 
neisrhborin<r British colonies. If the Fatherland gave an asylum to self- 

O O CD t/ 

exiled Puritans of England, New Ketherland as liberally sheltered 
refuirees from the intolerant governments on her Civstern frontier. . . . 
Without underrating others, it may confidently be claimed that to no 
nation in the world is the Kepnblic of the West more indel)ted than to 
the United Provinces for the idea of a confederation of States ; for noble 
jM'iiu'iples of constitutional freedom ; for magnanimous sentiments of 
religious toleration ; for characteristic sympathy with the subjects of 
oppression ; for liberal doctrines in trade and commerce ; for illustrious 
])atterns of ])rivate integrity and public virtue, and for generous and 
timely aid in the establishment of independence. Xowhere among the 
people of the United States can any be found excelling in honesty, 
industry, courtesy, or accomplishments the posterity of the early Dutch 
settlers in New Netherland." * 

Upon such a foundation — a people who made the hearth-stone the test 
of citizenship, and demanded residence and loyalty as the oidy guarantee 
of faithfulness as citizens — and a happy mixture, in time, of various 
nationalities and theological ideas, has been reared the grand supei"struc- 
ture of the Empire State of Xew York. 

The Dutch West India Company tried to shift the responsibility of 
the loss of New Xetherland from their own shoulders to those of Stuy- 
vesant. They declared that he had not done his duty well, and asked 
the States-General to disa])prove the " scandalous surrender'' of Xew 
Amsterdam. The sturdy old Frieslandcr made serious counter-charges 
of remissness in duty against the company, and sustained them by sworn 
testimony taken at New York. He M^cnt to Holland in 1(305 and urged 
the States-General to make a sjieedy decision of his case. Tliere was 
delay. The dispute was finally ended in 1067 by the peace between 
Holland and England, concluded at Breda. Then Stuyvesant returned 
to America, where he was cordially welcomed by his old friends, and 
kindly received by his political enemies, who had already learned from 
experience that he was not a worse governor than the duke had sent 



* Brodluads History of the State of Keto Tork, i. 747. 



CHARACTER OF PETER STUTVESAST. 83 

them. He retired to his iouwerie or farm on the East River, where he 
enjoved the respect of his fellow-citizens. There he died in 1<^S2, at the 
age of eightr Tears. Under the venerable church of St. Mark his mortal 
remains repose. In the northern wall of that venerable fane may be 
^«€n a free-stone slab on which is engraved a memorial inscription. 

With all his faults. Peter Stayvesant was a grand man of the time in 
which he lived. Obedient to every behest of duty and conscience ; 
zealous in his patriotic devotion to the interests of his people and 
country : lion-hearted in the maintenance of what he deemed to be right 
and just ; with unswerving loyalty to religious and political creeds, in 
his day, and viewing with supreme contempt the treachery of one of die 
most despicable of the British monarchs toward his unsuspecting ally, 
he felt it to be a degradation to yield an iota to the demands of the 
royal robber, who was incapable of exercising any tndy noble aspiration 
.;>r truly generous impulse. 



84 



TIIK KMIMHE STATK. 



CIIAI'TEK VI I. 



TiiK surrender of New Netherland to the English being accomplislied, 
a now ])rovinfial government for New York was organized under Colonel 
Nieolls as eliief magistrate. Matthias Xieolls was made secretary of 
the province. The governor chose for his Council, Robert Xeedham, 
Thomas Delavall, Secretary Xicolls, Thomas Topping, and AVilliaiii 
"Wells. ^Ir. Delavall was made collector and receiver-general of New 
York. The Dutch munictipal officers of New Amsterdam M-ere retained. 
A few days after the surrender the burgomasters wrote to the Dutch 

West India Company giving an account of 
the event, and adding: " Since M-e are no 
longer to depend upon your honors" prom- 
ises or |)rotection, we, with all the poor, sor- 
rowing, and aI)andoned connnonalty, must 
liy fur i-efuge to tliu .Mniiglity God, not 
(i(iiil)ting but He will stand by us in this 
sotely afflicting coiijuiiction." 

A harmonious arrangement was made for 
<iivi)ie worship in New York. The Dutch 
ciairch in the fort was the only fane in the 
city dedicated to Jehovah, and it was cor- 
dially agreed that after the Dutch morning 
service on the Sabbath the English chaplain 
should read the English Episcopal service 
to the governor and the garrison. Upon 
this footing the English Episcojial Church 
and the Dutch Chun-h in New York 
remained for more than thirty yeare. 
TJie dreams of freedom under British rule in New York were never 
realized b\' the Dutch. Tiiey soon found that a cliange of maatei's did 
not increase their prosperity or happiness. " Fresh names and laws did 




SKAI. OK THE DlKIi OK YOltK. 



* Burke says the Duke of York was directed, by a royal warrant issued in 16.52, to use a 

Koal delineated alK)ve, wliicli Ixire the royal arms of the Stuarts ((uaitered Avith those of 
France and England. It was used as the tirst seal of the province of New York inider 
the Knglish. It Wivs Iiolh pendant and incumbent. The engraving represents a pendant 
seal attached to the lirst charter of the city of Albany, 1686. 



UNDER THE NEW ORDER OF THINGS. 85 

not secure fresli liberties. Amsterdam was changed to Yorlc, and 
Orange to Albany ; bnt these changes only comnienioi-ated the titles of 
a conqueror. It was nearly twenty years before that conqueror allowed 
for a brief period to the people of New York even that faint degree of 
representative government which they had enjoyed when the tri-colored 
ensign of Holland was hauled down from the flag-staff of Fort Amster- 
dam. New Netherland exchanged StuyvesaTit and the Dutch West India 
Company and a republican sovereignty for Nicolls and a royal proprietor 
and a hereditary king. The province was not represented in Parliament ; 
nor could the voice of the people reach the chapel of St. Stephen at 
Westminster as readily as it had reached the chambers of the Binnenhof 
at the Hague." * 

Governor Nicolls required the Dutch inhabitants, who numbered about 
two thirds of the population of New Netherland, to take an oath of 
allegiance to the British monarch. The king having authorized the 
duke to make laws for the colony, the latter empowered Governor 
Nicolls and his Council to do so without the concurrence of I'epresenta- 
tives of the people. The code so prepared, and known as " The Duke's 
Laws," was promulgated in the spring of 1665.f 

In order to gain the good-will of the Dutch, Nicolls allowed themimic- 
ipal government of the city to continue in the form in which lie found 
jt. When, in February, 1C65, the terms of the municipal officers 
expired, they were allowed, as usual, to nominate their successors. They 
chose Oloff Stevens van Cortlandt, burgomaster ; Timothy (-rabry, 
Johannes van Brugh, Johannes de Peyster,:}; Jacob Kip, and Jac(pies 
Coosseau, aldermen ; and Allard Anthony, sheriff. 

A little later the government of the city of New York was changed so 
as to make it more " conformable to the English." The governor 
selected Thomas Willett, Stuyvesant's wise counsellor in diplomacy, and 
then a resident of New Plymouth, to be the first Mayor of New York. 

* Brodhead's Uiittory of the State uf Sew York, ii. 44. 

t There was only a pretence of consultation with representatives of the people iu the 
construction of these laws. A meeting of thirty-four delegates was held at Hempstead, 
on the call of Governor Nicolls, who laid before them the laws he had caused to be cojn- 
piled from those of New England ; but when the delegates proposed any amendment.s 
they fovmd that they had been assembled merely to accept law.s which had been prepared 
for them. They had merely exchanged the despotism of Stuyvesant for English des- 
potism. 

X Johannes de Peyster was the first of his name who came to New Netherland. He 
was a man of wealth, and became active in public affairs. He was chosen burgomaster 
in 1673, while the Dutch had temporary possession of the province, and afterward suffered 
much from the pett}' tyranny of Governor Andros. He was the ancestor of the De Peyster 
family in America, some of whom have been distinguished iu the history of our country. 



80 



Tin; K.Mi'ii;i: statk. 



One hiiiKirod and forty-two years afterward (1S(>7) ifarinus Willett, his 
great-ijrL'ut-tcrandson, was mayor of that city, then freed from Britisli 
rule. It was in May, 1665, that the first Mayor and Board of Aldermen 




o^Lo^i^I Oe 7^W/jt<f^ 




SICXATUKK AND ARMS OF .lOIIAXNES 1)E PEVSTEU. 



for the city of Xcw York were apjiointed. Three of them were English- 
men -Willett, Delavall, and Lawrence — and fmir of them were Hol- 
landers — Van Corthmdt, \a\\ Brugh, Van Bnyven (former secretary of 
Stnyvesant), and Anthony. 

War between Holland and (Ireat Britain hroke ont again early in 
l(iG.5. The Dutch luul resolved no longer to submit to the domination 
of tlie English. The States-General authorized the Dutch AVest India 
Company to " attack, conquer, and ruin the English, botli in and out of 
Europe, on land and water." The conflict raged cliielly on the ocean, 
and was terminated by a treaty at Breda at the close of June, 16<>7, 

when Xew Netherland was formally given up 
to Great Britain. 

]\[eanwhile two royalist favorites — Lord 
Berkelej' and Sir George Carteret — liad per- 
suaded the duke to convey to them a part of 
the magnificent domain in America, which 
was not yet in his possession, for the expedi- 
tion sent to seize it was still (Jime, 1664) 
ont upon the ocean. These favorites liad been 
proini)ted to ask this grant ])y the " us\ir]ier" 
Scott — ''burn to work mischief'' — for the 
purpose of injuring the duke, who had re- 
fused to let him have Long Island. The duke 
conveyed the whole of the beautiful territory 
between the Hudson liiverand the Delaware to Berkeley and Carteret, 
and in memory of the gallant defence of the island of Jersey by the lat- 
ter, he named the domain in the charter Nova Csesarea, or New Jei-sey. 




AUMS OK THE CAKTEUETS. 



BEGIXXIXG OF EXGUSII KULE AT XEVT YORK. 






Richard Nicolls * governed Xew York judiciously and wisely for 
about four years, when he resigned the government into the hands of 
his appointed successor, Francis Lovelace. The latter had visited Long- 
Island in 1652 under a pass from Cromweirs Council of State, and 
passed thence into Yirginia. 
He was a phlegmatic, indolent, 
and good-natured man, and of 
a mild and generous disposition, 
his weakness causing him oc- 
casionally to exercise petty 
tyranny. He was unfitted to 
encounter great storms, yet he 
showed considerable energy in 
dealing with the French and 
Indians on the northern frontier 
of New York during his ad- 
ministration. 

One of Lovelace's wisest 
counsellors and the most influ- 
ential man in the province at 
that time was Cornells Steen- 
wyck,f a wealthy citizen, and 
who held the office of mayor 
for three years during the ad- 
ministration of Lovelace. It was at his large storehouse that the corpo- 
ration gave a banquet to Governor Nicolls on his retirement from office. 




'h'''''^0/'f 



COHNEIJS tTEEXWYCK. 



* Nicolls was born in Bedfordshire in 1624, tlie son of a London barrister. He was a 
descendant of the Earl of Elgin. At the breaking out of the civil war he joined the royal 
forces, leaving college for the purpose, and soon obtained command of a troop of horse. 
As an (tttitrlie of the Duke of York, after the death of Charles, he served in France, first 
under Jlars'ial Turenne, and tlien under the Prince of Conde. After the Restoration he 
returned to England, found employment at court, became a favorite, and was made the 
duke's deputy governor of Xew York. He returned to England in 16fi8. 

f Cornells Steenwyck emigrated to Xew Xctlierland from Haarlem. Holland. He was 
a merchant, who arrived at X'ew Amsterdam about 1652. and engaged in trade, principally 
in tobacco for the European market. He was rated among the most wealthy citizens in 
1655. In 1658 lie married Margaretta de Riemer, daughter of a widow who conducted a 
small mercantile establishment in New Amsterdam. The widow was married tlie ne.\t 
year to Dominie Drissius, the Dutch clergyman of New Amsterdam. Steenwyck had a 
fine residence on the soutli-west corner of (present) Whitehall and Bridge streets. He 
was a very active man in public affairs as burgomaster, delegate to the General Assembly, 
and colleague of De Ruyvcn in carrying Stuyvesant's letters to XicoUs, and in the busi- 
ness of surrender 



88 



Tin: KMI'IRK STATK. 



Lovelace licld friendly iiitorconrse ■with the peopli! of New En<,'lan<l, 
and when, in Km-'', there was war again between Holland and Great 
Britain, and a I)iitfh squadron appeared hefore his capital in Anirnst, he 
was on a friendly visit to Crovernor "Winthrop. of Connecticut. With 
disaffection to his government he was always impatient ; and when the 
inhabitants in the territory of " New Sweden," on the Delaware, and 
also on Long Island, showed a rebellious spirit, he, at the suggestion of a 
Swede, levied heavy taxes upon them, and told them that they should have 
no liberty for any other thought than how they should pay their assessments. 
At the close of July, l(iT3, a Dutch s(juadron, commanded by 
Admirals Evertsen and Binckes, twenty-three vessels in all, including 
numerous prizes, and bearing six hundred land troops, arrived off Sandy 
Hook, and soon anchored above the NarroM-s in sight of New York. 
The admirals sent a summons to the commander of the fort there to sur- 
render. The English were taken by surprise. Captain John ^Manning, 
who was in conuuand of the fort, sent a messenger to Governor Lovelace 
in Connecticut, ordered the drums to beat for volunteers, and sent to the 
neiU'est towns on Lontj Islaiul for re-enforcements. None came. The 

Dutch in the city showed signs of 
serious disalTcction. The call for 
volunteers Mas little heeded. Few 
appeared, and those who did re- 
spond came as enemies instead of 
friends, and spiked the cannon 
parked in front of the City Hall. 
Ill this extremity Manning sent a 
deputation to the Dutch commander 
to in(piire why he had come " in 
such a hostile manner to disturb 
Ilis Majest3''s subjects." 

''We have come," he rejilied, 
" to take what is our own. and 
our own we will have." 

]\rannin<i: tried to gain time bv 
procrastination. The war - ships 
floated up M-ith the tide within musket-shot of the fort without tiring a 
gun. At the end of half an hour the ships fired broadsides and killed and 
wounded some of the garrison. The fort returned the fire, and shot the 
flag-ship " through and through."' Then six hundred men were landed, 
when about four hundred armed burghers encouraged their countrymen 
to storm the fort. 




I 



.iUMlKAl. COUNKI.IS EVKKTSKN. 



RECONQUEST BY THE DrTCII. 89 

Perceiving resistance iinder the circumstances to be useless, a white 
flag was displayed over the fort, and a deputation was sent out to meet 
the advancing storming party at near sunset. A capitulation was soon 
effected, when the fort and garrison were surrendered with the honors 
of war. The Dutch soldiers marched into the fort and the English 
soldiers marched out of it with colors flying and drums beating, and 
grounded their arms. Then the English garrison was ordered back, and 
were made prisoners of war in the church within the fort. The tri- 
colored banner of the Dutch Republic took its old place on the flag-stafl: 
of the fort, and the heart of Stuyvesant, who was a witness of the event, 
was filled with joy. New Amsterdam had been snatched from the 
Dutch l)y an English rol)ber, who came stealthily while Holland and 
Great Britain were at peace. New York had lieen honorably taken by 
a Dutch squadron — an open enemy — engaged in war with Great Britain. 
The name of New Netherland was now restored to the reconquered 
territory. It then had three chief towns, thirty villages, and between 
six and seven thousand Dutch inhabitants. Fort James was renamed 
Fort William Henry in honor of the Prince of Orange. Captain 
Anthony Colve* was chosen to be governor-general of the province, his 
commission defining it as extending from " fifteen miles south of Cape 
. Ilinlopen to the east end of Long Island and Slielter Island ;"' on the 
main north from Greenwich as defined in looO, and including " Dela- 
ware Bay and all intermediate territory possessed by the Duke of York." 
The name of the city of New York was changed to New Orange, 
and Albany to AVillemstadt. The municipal government was re-estab- 
lished after the Dutch pattern. Anthony de Milt was appointed schout, 
Johannes van Brugh, Johannes de Peyster, and .^Egidius Luyck were 
chosen bitrgomasters, and "William Beeckman, Jeronimus Ebbing, 
Jacob Kip, Laurens van der Spiegel, and Gelyn Ver Planck wei'e 
made schepens.j; Evertsen and Binckes issued a proclamation ordering 



* Colve was " a man of resolute spirit, and passionate," whose arbitrary nature had 
not been improved by military training. When made governor, he sought to magnify 
the office by setting up a coach drawn by three horses. He ruled with energy and some- 
times with .severity. When an English force demanded the surrender of the province to 
English rvde, provided by treaty, and Edmond Andros claimed the right to take the seat of 
Colve, the latter yielded to the inevitable with grace. He even went so far as to present to 
.Viidros his coach and three horses. After the formal surrender Colve returned to Holland. 

f After the recovery of Xew York bj- the English Captain Planning was tried by a 
court-martial on a charge of cowardice and treachery, found guilty, and senteifced to 
have his sword broken over his head by the executioner in front of the City Hall, and 
forever incapacitated to hold any office, civil or military, in the gift of the crown. Gov- 
ernor Lovelace was severely reprimanded, and his estates were confiscated and given to 



90 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

tlio seizure of all property and delfts ])elonging to the kinj^s of France 
and England, or their subjeet.s, and urging every person to report such 
property to the Secretary of the Province, I^icholas liayard. I)c 
lluyven, who had been made the receiver of the duke's revenue, 
although an old Dutchman, was recpiired to give a strict account. 

The swift reconquest of New York startled the other English colonics 
in America, and some of them prepared for war. Connecticut foolishly 
talked of an olfensive war. Culve was wide awake, and watched current 
events around him with great vigilance. He kept his eye on the move- 
ments of the Frenchmen and barbarians on the north ; watched every 
hostile indication on the east, and compelled hesitating boroughs on 
Long Island and in "Westchester to take the oath of allegiance to the 
Prince of Orange. He made strong the fortifications of New York, 
planting no less than one hundred and ninet}' cannons around the city 
and on the fort. 

The triumph of the Dutch was of short duration. The reconquest 
was an accident, not the result of a preconceived plan. The ha]ipy 
dreams of a Belgic empire in America were, in a few months, suddenly 
dispelled, for a treaty negotiated at Westminster (London) early in lOTi 
ended the M'ar, and upon the principle of reciprocal restitution, rs'ew 
r^etherland was restored to the P)ritish crown, and remained thereafter a 
British province until the war for independence in 1775-83. Doubts 
liaving ari.sen respecting the effects of these political changes upon the 
duke's title to his American possessions, the king confirmed it by issuing 
a new charter in June, IG'i. 

]\Icanwhile France had been endeavoring to establish and extend her 
dominion on the borders of the great lakes, especially Ontario. The 
strong right arm of her power in this work was eoinposed of Jesuit mis- 
sionaries, who carried the lilies of I'^rance wherever they displayed the 
emblems of Christianity. French soldiers followed in the path of these 
missionaries. Wars between the French and barliarians within the 
domain of the State of New York, as well as alliances, had taken place. 
Li the hearing of the barbaric tribes the imposing ritual service of the 
Church of Pome had been read and chanted for juore than a score of 
years. 

At the period of the )>olitical changes in New York here mentioned, 
the Jesuits were active among the Iroquois. They had established a sort 



the Duke of York. Admiral Evcrtsen, the commander of the Dutch forces that retook 
New Netheriand, a.ssisted in conveying the forces of AVilli.nm. Prince of Orange, to 
England in 1688. 



FRONTENAC AND 'niK IROQUOIS. 91 

of metropolitan station among the Mohawks at Caughnawaga, on the 
nortli side of tlie iloliawlc Iliver, in (present) Fulton Oonutv, and were 
successful in making converts among the Mohawks and Oneidas. 

"Working in concert with the missionaries, for State purposes, was the 
al)le Governor-General of Canada, Count Louis Fi-oiitenac. Learning 
from the Jesuits early in 167'! that the Iroquois were not well disposed 
toward the French, lie made a pompous visit to the eastern end of Lake 
Ontario and there lield a conference with delegates from the Five Nations, 
whom he had invited to meet him. The object of the conference was 
to impress the barbarians with a sense of the power of Canada. With 
two bateau.x gaudily jjainted, each carrying sixteen men and a small 
cannon mounted, accompanied by one hundred and twentv canoes and 
ftiur hundred men, he ascended the St. Lawrence. The conference was 
lield on the site of Kingston. It was exceedingly friendly. The count 
tried to persuade the Iroquois sachems and chiefs to consent to allow 
their youths to learn the French language. He called the Five Nations 
his " children,-' and in every way tried to win their supreme affection for 
the French. P)Ut he was unsuccessful ; he only won their friendlv feel- 
ings, and a safegaiard for the missionaries 
among them. He did not weaken in the 
least degree their attachment to the 
Dutch. 

Frontenac had begim a fort — the after- 
ward famous Fort Frontenac of history signature of edmond andisos. 
— where the conference was held, when, 

leaving a small garrison in tlie fort, he returned to Montreal. The great 
minister of Louis XIV., Colbert, sent word to Frontenac that he had 
better imitate the Dutch at Manliattan and Orange, and instead of 
^ prosecuting distant discoveries, to build up towns and villages in 
Canada." 

On the reconquest of Xcw York by the English the important question 
arose : '' Who shall be sent to govern the province ?" Nicolls Avas dead, 
and Lovelace was inconqietent. The king commissioned Sir Edmond 
Andros,* major of dragoons, who was then thirty-seven years of age, to 

* Sir Edmond Andros was born in London in 1637. His family wore distinguished on 
tlic island of Giiornsi'}-. Alter serving as Governor of New York from 1674 to 1084 lie 
rf'tm-ned to England, and entered the service of his king at the palace. Appointed 
Governor of New England. New York, and New Jersey in 1688, he exercised arbitrary 
power until the Revolution dethroned his inaster. King James II., that year, when he 
was deposed and sent to England. In 1692 Andros was made Governor of Virginia, and 
so remained until 1698. In 1704 he was created Governor of Guernsey, and died at West- 
minster in 1713. 




92 Till-: K.Ml'lHK STATK. 

fill that station, lie had been hronght up in the royal lioiisehold ; \vh- 
a favorite of the kinj; and tlie duke ; a ijood French and Dutch scholar ; 
a thorough royalist ; an obedient servant of his superiors, and was well 
fitted to perform the piirt which his masters appointed him to play. His 
private character was without blemish, and the evil things spoken of him 
relate to his pul)lic career. This man played a conspicuous part in 
American history for a few years. ' 

Andros received the govciriiinent of Xew York frfdu Colve in October, 
ICu-i. Witli all their ])olitical disabilities under him, the ]>eople f)f that 
province prospered and were comparatively happy, l.nxurv had not 
corrupted their tastes, and their wants Mere few. A man worth three 
thousand dollars wiis considered rich ; the possessor of five thousand 
dollars was considered opulent. There was almost a dead level of 
equality in society. Beggars were unknown. '" Ministers were few, 
but religions numy, " and out of matters of faith grew many contro- 
versies. There seemed little reason for the twenty thousand inhabitants 
of the domain to be unhappy ; but the divine instinct of freedom, which 
denumded a free exercise of tlie rights of self-government, made many 
of them discontented and in some places mutinous. The career of 
Andros in America outside of Xew York was more strikiiig — more 
dramatic than within that domain. 

Andros in his zeal exceedeil his master's instructions, and very soon 
he acquired the just title of "tyrant."' The duke, his master, was a 
strange compound of wickedness and goodness, slow to perceive right 
from wronjr, and seldom seeinir truth in its puritv. Bancroft savs of 
liim : " A libertine without love, a devotee without spirituality, an 
advocate of toleration without a sense of the natural right to freedom of 
conscience — to him the muscular force prevailed over the intellectual. 
He was not bloodthirsty ; but to a narrow mind fear seems the most 
powerful instrument of government, and he ])ro])ped his throne [when 
he became king] with the block and gallow.s. lie floated between the 
sensuality of indulgence and the sensuality of superstition, hazarding 
heaven for an ugly mistress, and, to the great delight of abbots and nuns, 
winning it back again by pricking his flesh with sharp points of iron and 
eating no meat on Saturdays." The Duke of Buckingham said well 
that " Charles would not and James could not see." 

One of the fir.st of the acts of petty tyranny of Aiidros was the im- 
l)risonment of leading citizens of Xew York — ^Steenwyck, Van I'nigli. 
Dc Peyster, Bayard, Luyck, Beeckman, Kip, and De Milt — on a charge 
of " disturbing the jrovernment and endeavoring a rebellion." Their 
offence consisted in an expressed desire not to take an unconditional oatii 



COMMISSIONERS OF IN 1)1 AX AFFAIRS 93 

of allegiance to Charles Stuart, and petitioning the governor for leave to 
sell their estates and to remove elsewhere. 

Andros prot-eeded to enforce jurisdiction over every foot of territory 
included in the duke's charter of lt)64 — Pemaquid, in Maine, the islands 
of Martha's (Martin's) Vineyard and Xantucket, and disputed domains 
on the Delaware, lie also claimed jurisdiction over all the territory 
west of the Connecticut River. The authorities of Connecticut disputed 
the claim, and Andros denounced their action as " rebellion against the 
duke." 

Finding the French were tampering with the Iroquois, Andros went 
to Albany, regulated some affairs at Schenectady, and penetrated the 
ilohawk Valley a hundred miles beyond. On his return to Albany he 
received solemn assurances of the friendship of the Five Nations, and 
then he organized the first '' Board of Commissioners for Indian Affairs." 
This was a most important measure, and its operations were salutary for 
a hundred years. He appointed as its secretary Robert Livingston, then 
town clerk of Albany, a shrewd Scotchman who had lately come over 
from Rotterdam, and who afterward became prominent in colonial affairs. 
The Five Nations gave Andros the name of " Corlear," in memory of 
their good friend, Arendt van Curler or Corlear, who, as we have 
observed, was connnissary of Rensselaerwyck, and who was drowned in 
Lake Champlain. 

It was at this juncture that King Philip's War * broke out and spread 
great alarm throughout New England. Andros sympathized with his 
countrymen in their distress, but could not spare a military force to aid 
them ; but he sent six barrels of gunpowder to the Rhode Islanders (who 
were excluded from the New England Confederacy), and invited any of 
them who should be driven out by the Indians to come to New York 
and be ■welcomed as guests. There was no good feeling between the 
'■ United Colonies of New England " (see p. 58") and Andros. 

* Massasoit. the -warm friend of the " Pilgrim Fathers" at New Plymouth, liad two 
.sou*, called respectively by the English. Philip and Alexander. The former was the 
elder, and succeeded his father as sachem. Perceiving that the English were undoubtedly 
determined to deprive him of his domain, he listened favorably to the counsels of his hot 
young braves, and began a war for the extermination of the white intruders. At his 
seat at Mount Hope, in Rhode Island, he planned a federation of all the New England 
tribes for that purpose. Exasperated by au untoward occurrence, he suddenly struck 
the first blow thirty miles from New Plymouth, and for about a year he spread terror 
and desoltUion far and wide. Finally he was killed in a hiding-place by another Indian. 
His wife and little son had been made prisoners. The Christians of Massachusetts delil> 
erated whether to kill or sell into slavery to fellow-Christians in Barbadoes this innocent 
Iiagan Ixiy. The latter measure was the most 2>roJitabk, and it was adopted. 



HI 



llIK KMI'lUK SlATi:. 



I.iito ill liiTT Ainlros wiMil In MiiiflMinl to Inok aftor liis priviito ntTiiiw, 
li'aviiijj; Anllioiiv ItriM-kluills * in cliariji' of tlu» j;ovt'rmin'nt ol" Xow 
^'ork. l?rt>ckliolls inliiiinistt»ri>il piiMic iiiTiiifs wisoly lor a lew iiiontlis. 
Mt>iiii\vliili< tlio j;ov»>rnor luul Ihh-ii kniijlitotl l>v Iviiiji ("liarli-s, iiiul lie 
rotnriu>(l lo N\>\v ^'ork Sir l-Miiioiid Antlros. niiriiiii; liis altsiMico a royiil 
niaiTiai;i< hail liikcii pkn'c wliicli liad an iniportaiit hoarinii; upon the 
(li'slinii's ol" Now \\>\'k nay, of llu» worltl. ll was llic niarriajfii of 
William, Princo of ('rani;i>, Iho acknowlotiiji'il loailcr of llio I'rolostants 
of I'lnropo. to liis coiisin Marv. dannliU'r of tlio Hnko of ^'ork, Tliu 
(hiko was a Koinaii ("atliolio liy fonvict ion, ainl llic inarriai;i' was <lis- 
taslofnl to him. 

Tho ilnko, iVijafdloss of llu> i'iu;lils of Horkolcy and Cailt'iot, liail 
aiviMi Andiv's sulViciiMil autliority to allow liim to annoy those proprietors 
and llu> sottlors in thoir domain. l>orkoloy sold his inlorost to lMii;lisli 
" I'Vionds" or Quakors, and (.'artorot oonsonlod to a division of tlio torri- 
tory into Kast and Wost Jorsoy. llo hold Mast .lorsoy. 'I'ho proprietor* 

of AVost .lorsoy, makinj; lihoral 
ooiu'i'ssions to settlors, soon al- 
Iraotod a nnmorous popidation t' 
that ri'ijitin. I'mt .\ndros was a 
ohronio distnrlu'r. llo oansoti tlio 
duko lo claim the riirlit to rule 
all New Jersey, and .Vndros at- 
tempted to exoivise it. .\ jndioial 
deoision soon freed it ahsolutely 
from the (hike's oontrol. and lato 
in lOSl the fii-sl Ueprosentative 
.Vssenddy mot at !>alom. in NVosi .lorsoy. and ailoptod a eodo of laws. 
Mast .lorsoy was also sold to ijuakoi-s, and nnmorous settlors oanio theix> 
also. 

Meanwhile William Penu. an Kujilish liuaker. son of .Vdmind I'eun 
\^who was a frioiul o{ the kinj; and the ilukoV had l>oeom(> a jiropriotor t)f 
West .loi-soy. haviui; i>l>tainod fmm Charles a irraul of a ditmaiu (^Mai-oh, 
U>sn inoludinjj " thivo deureosof latitude and live doi;roes of lonjjitmle," 
west ot" the l>ela\van' Uiver, in jiayment of a loan nuulc l>y the king from 



^^W<r 




r 



sinNvriUK OK silt .miiN iii i!m i i :v \m« 

SIU tiKOUUK OAUrKUKT. 



• .Vnthony Brorkholls was of a Uotnnn ratholio family tn I.nneashtnv Knelaiut. ami 
\v:is II " i>rv>lVs.:c<l I'apisl" hiiusclf. llr liinu' lo Now York at aNnil Iho linu> of its svir- 
ix'Uilcr lo llii' l>>iloh ill lllT-l. iiiul wsis n;iiu<-<l as llio siioivssor i>f Oovornor .Viuln»< in iln' 
rvi'iil of llu' (li'iilli of Ihc Itilli-r. lii l(i81 he was apitoiiiltil nnvivt-r O'nrral of llic j>i\>\ 
iiiiv. and ill l(i.><;l lio Invaiiu' our of llu> i->niiuil of tiovcriior Poiiiraii, For fully lliiii\ 
ywil's Ui\K'kliolls WHS a very iiolivo 111:111 in nulilio alfaii-s in llu> piMviiuv of New York. 



EAHT JEHSKY H(;l.L>. 



;».'> 



Penn's father. Tlif; ilomain whh narno'l in tlio charter " PciiriHylvania.'' 
Pt'iifi obtaine<], !>y grant an*] piireliaHO of tlio f]uk(!, the territory cotn- 
priw;<J in tiie prettent State of JJeiaware, and on eoniing to America the 
next year, tlie aj^ent of the duke Hurrendered it t/) Penri. 

AndroH liad been Hiiddenly recalled from New York in the atitnrnn of 




KKAI. Ol- .Sfcrt jOflk IIIT, IflW, 



lfi^2, and Brockholl» again became a^rtirig governor. -Nothing of 
special interest in public affain* fx^nirred during liiH a'lmini»tration of 
nearly tlirw; yearH, exfx-pting a claim t^> Staten Inland an a ])art of Eai«t 
Jerwey, made by I-fly Carteret, widow of the de<;ea»e'] [>roprietor. TJie 
matter was w>on settled by the Hale of £a«t Jersey. 



96 THE EMPIllE STATE. 



CIIAPTEIl VIIT. 

Sir Edmoxd Andeos had ruled New York about nine years with vigor, 
lie had kept peace witli the Iroquois Confederacy : t-ruslied religions 
enthusiiusts ; frowned upon every sign of republicanism, and asserted 
witli great tenacity the power of the duke, his master, within the char- 
tered limits of his territory. ^leanwhile the duke had listened to tin- 
appeals of the inhabitants of New York and heeded the judicious advice 
of his friend, "William Penn, to give the people more liberty ; and lu' 
sought an able and enlightened governor to take the 2)lace of Andros. 
lie found such a man in Thomas Dongan,* a younger son of an Irisii 
baronet, and then about fifty years of age. lie was a Roman Catholic, 
enterprising and active, a " man of integrity, moderation, and genteel 
manners.*' 

Under instructions frum the duke, Dongan ordered an election of a 

General Assembly of llepresentatives of 
the people, their number not to exceed 
eighteen. Their functions were to as- 
sist the governor and Council in framing 
laws for the " good of the colony," 
siGNAiTHE OK (;..vKi(Nou noxGAx. the dukc rescrviug to himself the right 

to examine and approve or reject such 
laws. The representatives were to be allowed free debate among them- 
selves in considering j)roposed laws. Thus the jieople of New York 
were first allowed to share the colonial political authority. 

It was a notal)le event in the history of the State of New York when, 
on October ITtli, 1083, the first General Assenibl}' of the Province of 
New York, composed of ten councilloi's and seventeen representative- 
of the people, met at the City Hull :iiicl were addressed by Governor 




* Governor Dongan had served in the French army ; was a colonel in the royal 
army, and liad been Liiutt-nanl -Governor of Tangier. When he re.-iijrnetl his office of 
Governor of New York to Audros. in ^688. he retired to his farm on Lous Island. With 
the assumption of jwwer by Leisler, a strong anti-Homan Catholic spirit wsis fostered, 
and Dongan being a Papist, wa.s wrongfully regarded ivith suspicion. Becau.sc he had a 
brigantine constructed to carry him on a visit to England, he was charged with a trea- 
sonable design against William and Mary, in favor of dethroned King .Tames. He went 
to Boston, sailed thence to England, and afterward became Earl of Linuriek. 



CHARTER OF LIBERTIES FOR XEW YORK. 97 

Doiiijaii, whose sympathies were in unison witli the popuhir desires. 
The Assembly chose tlie experienced Matthew Nieolls speaker and John 
gpnio'g clerk. They sat three weeks and passed fourteen acts, all of 
which were assented to by tlie governor, witli tlie advice of his Conncil. 
Tlie first of these acts was entitled "■ The Charter of Liberties and Priv- 
ileges, granted by His Royal Highness, to the Iidiabitants of New York 
and its Dependencies." It declared that the siipreme legislative power 
should forever be and reside in the governor, conncil, and people, met 
in General Assembly ; that every freeliolder and freeman should be 
allowed to vote for representatives without restraint ; that no freeman 
should sufEer but by judgment of his peers ; that all trials should be by 
a jury of twelve men ; that no tax slionld be assessed, on any pretence 
wliatever, but by the consent of the Assembly ; that no seaman or soldier 
should be quartered on the inhabitants against their will ; that no martial 
law should exist, and that no person professing faith in God, by Jesus 
Christ, should at any time be anywise disquieted or questioned for any 
difference of opinion. Xot a feature of tlie intolerance and l)igotry of 
the New England charters appeared in this first 
'■ Charter of Liberties" for the province of Xew 
York. 

This act was read in front of the City Ilall on 
tlie morning after its passage in the presence of 
tlie governor, his Council, the Assembly, the 
numicipal oflicers, and the people, the latter 
having been summoned to the joyous feast by 
the sounding of trumpets. In this charter was 
again enunciated the postulate of the Xether- 
lands — " Taxation only by consent." 

The next act that was passed provided for the 
division of the province into twelve counties or shires. The names of 
tlie twelve are still retained, but their territorial dimensions have been 
much modified by the erection of new counties from parts of some of 
tliem. The names and boundaries of these political divisions as given in 
the act of 1683 are as follows :* 

The City and County of JVev) Yorl: bear the name of the duke's firet 
title. It included all Manhattan Island, and several adjacent islands. 

Westchester County embraced all the territory eastward of Manhat- 
tan to the Connecticut line, and nortliward along the Hudson River to 
the H-ia:hlands. 




NEW YOltK COUNTY SEAL. 



The seals of the several counties represented ou page 99 were of those in use in 1S75. 



98 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

Duchess Comity was so named in lionor of tlie duke's wife, the 
Duchess of York.* It extended frc>ni "Westchester northward to Albany 
County, and " into tho woods twenty miles." 

Orange County extended from Xew Jersey northward along the Hud- 
son Iliver to Murderer's Creek (now Moodna's Creek), alwve the Iliirh- 
lands near Xuw Windsor, and westward to tlie Delaware Iliver. It was 
so named in honor of the duke's son-in-law, the Prince of (Grange. 

TJhtcr County derives its name from the duke's Irish earldom. It 
extended from the northern boundary of Orange Count}' along the river, 
and " twenty miles into the woods" as far north as Saugerties. 

Albany County, bearing the duke's second or Scotcli title, extended 
indetinitoly northward from lloeloff Jansen's Kill (Creek) on the east 
side of the river, and on the west side from Saugerties northward to 
" the Saraaghtoga. " 

lilchriumd County, which included Staten Island and two or three 
smaller islands, was probably so named in honor of the king's illegiti- 
mate son by tlie Duchess of Portsmouth, the Duke of Richmond. 

K/iKjs and Queens counties occupied the western jiortiou of Long 
Island from Oyster Bay and Hempstead, and was named in honor of the 
monarch and his wife. 

Suffolk County emiiraced the eastern portion of Long Island, and 
derived its name from that of the most easterly county in England, 
south of Norfolk. 

The duke's possession in Maine (at Pemaquid) was called Cornxcall 
County. The islands off the coast of Massachusetts Avhich were included 
in his charter were constituted Duke's County. 

Courts of justice were established by the Assembly in the several 
counties. These consisted of four tribunals — town courts, county 
courts or Courts of Sessions, a court of Oyer and Terminer, and a court 
of Chancery to be the Supreme Court of the province. The latter was 
composed of the governor and his Council. But every inliabitant of 
the province was allowed the right to appeal to the king from the judg- 

* "SVlien the names of the counties were given, the title of the %vife of a duke was 
spelled with a"t" — du/clicss — and so contijiued in the Eniclish hmguasre until the ap- 
pearance of Johnson's Dictionary, in 17.5.^. He gave it the orthograjiliy of its French 
derivitive — duchessc — omitting the final e. The name being spelled with a " I " in the 
early records of the State, it wiis not changed when the orthography of the name of tli'' 
wife of a duke wa-s changed, and through inadvertence and ignorance of its origin, tlic 
name of Duchess County has been spelled with a " t" until within a few years, wlun 
attention was called to the fact that the county was named in honor of the Duchess ii 
York. It is now universally spelled without a " t" by well-informed people. It is>> 
niK-lled in the United States Census Reports of 1880. 



DONGAN'S FOREIGN RELATIONS. 



99 



ment of auy court. All the laws passed l>y tliis first General Assembly 
of New York were read to the people in front of the City Hall, and 
were then sent to England for the consideration of the duke.* 

Dono-an conducted his " foreign relations" with spirit. He told the 
iiestering Connecticut authorities that if they did not keep quiet and 




SEALS OP THE FTOST ORGANIZED COUNTIES IN NEW YORK. 



adhere to the lioundary agreement of 1650, which was a lino twenty 
miles east of the Hiidson Ri%'er, he should proceed to claim the original 
territory defined in the duke's patent, eastward to the Connecticut 



* Late in 1683 the city of New York was divided into six wards, named respectively 
North ^yard, Soutli Ward, East Ward, West Ward, Dock Ward, and Out Ward. 
James Graham, one of the late aldermen, was commissioned the first recorder of New 



I'lO THE EMPIRE STATE. 

River. He renewed tlie claims of Andros to sovereignty over tlie Five 
Nations. At an interview with Moliawiv leadei-s at Albany, in the \m>- 
once of the Governor of Viririiiia (Lord Ertinghaini, he enjoined them 
not to deal with the FrencJi without his leave, nor allow any of that 
nation to live among tlieni excepting tlie missionaries. The Mohawks 
readily assented, and so unfriendly did the Iroiinois deport themselves 
toward the French that most of the missionaries, alarmed, Avent back tn 
Canada. Dongan also warned the P^rench, who had come among the 
Indians at Pemaquid — especially the Baron de Castin * — to come umler 
the duke's authority or to leave the region. So thoroughly did Dongan 
win the respect and reverence of the Iroquois that they called Albany 
their " sixth castle." Four of the nations requested the governor to put 
the Duke of York's arms on their castles as a protection against the 
French. 

When, in 1082, the Count de la Barre became Governor-General of 
Canada he resolved to bring the Iroquois into subjection to the French. 
This design he cherished continually, but he found the energetic Dongan 
a bar to his ambitions schemes. A crisis came early in IfiS-i-. De la 
Barre was preparing to attack the Senecas. Dongan notified him that 
all the Iroquois nations were subject to the Duke of York ; that the 
duke's territory extended to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Iliver, 
and that if the French did not come south of those waters the English 
would not go north of them. Dongan's tone was so firm, yet concilia- 
tory, that De la Barre paused for awhile. In the following summer he 
made an attempt to carry out his threat with the aid of tiie Jesuit mis- 
sionaries, hut signally failed. The Intendant of Canada said he wa> 
" fooled in the most shameful manner"' by Dongan and the Iro(|uois. 

York,* who took a seat on the bencli of the Mayor's Court on the right hand of IIr- 
Mayor. The shipping of the port of New York at that time consisted of tliree barks, 
three brigantines, twenty-seven sloops, and forty-six open boats. 

* Tlie Baron de Castin, a French nobleman and military leader, established a trading' 
liouse at the moulh of the Penobscot Iliver, and exhibited hostile movements, at times, 
toward the duke's possessions in Jlaine. He married the dauglitcr of an Indian chiit. 
In 1695, accompanied by Iberville, he led about two hundred Indians against Pemaquid. 
and captured it. 

* James Graham, the first recorder of the city of New York, was a Scotchman and kinsman of the Earl of 
Montrose. He was an able lawyer, and practised his profession wliile conducting a mercunlile busines?^ ■: 
New York. He was an alderman in ICSO, and became attorney-general and one of the Council in \ii<> 
lie was attorney-general under Andros, in Boston, shared the odium of the governor, and on the downfiiil 
of the latter was imprisoned awhile. In 1691 he returned to New York, was elected to the Assembly, ami 
became its Si>eaker. He was again in tlie Council in 1699. Graham had been active in urging the execution 
of Leisler. and shared the fortunes of the anli-Leisleriaus, which ended his public career in 1701. lie died at 
Morrisania the same year. 



POLICY OF KIXG JAMES IX KEAV YORK. 



ICl 



The discomfited De la Barre wrote to the French minister that ]iis cain- 
paiiiu had been " bloodless I" It had been fruitless as well, and worse. 

Early in February, 16S5, King Charles II. died at the age of tifty-li%'e 
vears, a worn-out libertine. His brothei', the Duke of York, took his 
place on the throne of Great Britain as James II. He had hesitated 
about sending the promised " Charter of Liberties" to Xew York ; now, 
as Ji''»'J, he positively refused to contirm what, as duke, he had prom- 
ised. He instantly began to demolish the fair fabric of civil and relig- 
ious liberty which had been raised 
with so much hope in 2s ew lork. 
A direct tax was ordered without 
tlie consent of the people ; the 
printing-press — the right arm of 
knowledge and freedom — was for- 
bidden a place in the colony ; and 
as he had determined to establish 
the Roman Catholic faith as the 
State religion throughout hisrealm, 
the provincial offices were largely 
filled by adherents of the Italian 
Church. 

The liberal - minded Dongau 
lamented these proceedings ; and 
when the scheming monarch in- 
structed the governor to introduce 
French missionaries among the 
Five Nations, he resisted the 
measure as dangerous to the Eng- 
lish power on the American 
continent. Fortunately the Iro- 
quois Confederacy remained firm in their friendship for the English 
in after years, and stood as a powerful barrier against the aggressive 
French when the latter twice attempted to reach the white settlers at 
Albau}- with hostile intentions. 

The clear-headed and right-hearted Dongan stood by the people and 
the interests of England with a firmness which finally offended the mon- 
arch. Dongan knew that the king had a great love for the French, and 
when he sa^v the advantages which he was disposed to give them in 
America by his unwise acts, he could not but regard his sovei'eign's con- 
duct as treason toward his country. For his faithfulness he was rewarded 
with the gratitude of the peojjle of INew York and the displeasure of 




102 



Till-: E.Ml'lKK STATE. 



tlie iiiojiarch, who disinissed liim from tlie office of governor. lie 
received a letter from James in the spring of 1*!SS ordering liim tu sur- 
render the government into the liands of Andros, wlio held a vice-regal 
commission to rule ]*sew York and all ^ew England. !Ne\v York was 
made a royal British province. It had been a dukedom of a royal Eng- 
lish subject for a])out twenty years. James was proclaimed king, at 
New York, on April 22d, ir.sr,. 

In the mean time, Dongan had experienced more trouble with the 
French. Tlie ^Manpiis de iSonviJlo liad become Governor of Canada, 
lie resolved to build a fort at the moutli of tlie Niagara Iliver to over- 
awe the Irofpiois, and he ]>re])ared to attack the Senecas. The Jesuit 
missionaries united with him. To counteract their influence, ])ongan 
summoned the Five Nations to a conference at Albany in tlie .spring ot 
1686.* The Indians asked to be i-elieved of the Fren(-h priests at llieir 
castles, to lie replaced by English priests. Tlie governor promised ti) 

establish an English church at Saratoga, ami 
to ask the king to send over English ]iriests ; 
at the same time he warned the Iroipiois of 
De Nonville's intention to attack them. 

De Nonville now appealed to Dongan :i- 
a Roman Catholic to aid him in converting: 
the Indians to Christianity. Dongan was no: 
deceived by this false pretence. He promised 
to do all he could to protect the missionariis 
among the barbarians ; that was all. The 
Governor of New York outwitted and out- 
generalled the Governor of Canada at every 
])oint, though the latter was ably assisted by the veneral>le Lamberville, 
the Jesuit priest at the Onondaga Castle. Exasperated beyond measure, 
the <liscomtited De Nonville wrote to the French ilinister : " I am dis- 
j)0sed to go straight to Orange [Albany], storm their fort, and burn the 
whole concern." 

In May, 1687, De Nonville, with a force of over two thousand Frencii 




SEAL OF TirE CITY OF 
ALB.\NY. 



* In 1G80 (July 22<1) Governor Dongan incorporated Albany as a city, with large fran- 
chises, including the management of the Indian trade, and appointed Peter Schuyler Id 
be its first maj-or. Isaac Swinton its recorder, and Robert Livingston its clerk. Dink 
■Wes-scls, .Tan .Tansen Bleecker. David Schuyler, .Johannes Wendell, Levinus van 
Schaick, and Adraien Garritse were ajipointcd aldermen ; .loachini Staals. .Tolin LansinL'. 
Isaac Ver Planck. Lawrence van Ale. Albert Ryckman. and Elbert AVinanlse. a.ssistant^ . 
.Tan Bleecker, chamberhiiu ; Ricliard Pretty, sheriff ; and James Parker, marshal. 8u( h 
was the first political organization of the city of AU)any, the capital of the State of New 
York. 



DE XOXVILLES INVASION. 103 

regulars. Canadians, and Indians, coasted along the southern shores of 
Lake Ontario and penetrated the Seneca country from Irondequoit Bay. 
Eio-ht hundred of his reguhir troops had been sent over from France for 
this expedition. The invaders desohited the Seneca country, destroying 
all the stored corn (more than a million bushels), the growing crops, 
cabins, and a vast number of swine belonging to the natives. Then De 
Konville took possession of the country in the name of the French 
king ; but by an act of foul treachery and atrocious cruelty he gave a 
death-blow to Jesuit missions among the Five Nations, and confirmed 
their friendship for the English. De Nonville had employed Lamber- 
ville, the venerated Jesuit priest at Onondaga Castle, to decoy many 
Iroquois chiefs into a stronghold under the pretence of holding a confer- 
ence. There the dusky representatives of their people were seized, put 
in irons, sent to France, and committed to the chain-galleys at ]\[arseilles. 
This was done to strike the Five Nations with terror. It had an oppo- 
site effect. Tiie missionaries had to flee for tiieir lives before the 
angered braves, and Lamberville was saved only by the generous protec- 
tion of the chief of the Onondagas. 

In the spring of 1G88 the jjrovince of New York was " consolidated " 
with New England under a colonial viceroy (Sir Edmond Andros), and 
formed a part of the ephemeral political organization known as the 
" Dominion of New England." At this time the king, as he informed 
the Pope, was preparing to " set up the Roman Catholic religion in tlie 
English Plantations. ' ' 

The viceroy arrived in New York from Boston in August, and was 
received by the loyal aristocracy with great parade. In the midst of the 
rejoicings news came that the young queen (James's second wife) had 
given birth to a Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne. The event 
was celebrated by the royalists the same evening by bonfires in the streets 
and a banquet at the City Hall. At the festive board Mayor Van Cort- 
landt became so hilarious, it is said, that he made a burnt sacrifice to his 
loyalty of his hat and periwig, waving the blazing victims over the 
banquet table on the point of his straight sword. 

The Dutch inlial)itants of New York (as well as the Protestant rejnib- 
licans) were disappointed. They had looked forward with hope for the 
accession of James's daughter Mary, the wife of their own Protestant 
Prince of Orange, to the throne of Great Britain ; now it could not be 
hoped for excepting on the death of the infant Prince of Wales or 
revolution. The latter alternative was near at hand. 

The folly and recklessness of King James in his efforts to estabhsh the 
Roman Catholic as the State religion of his realm alarmed the Pope, 



104 THE KMPIRE STATE. 

■\vlio said to liis cardinals : "■ We must excomiimnicate tliis kin^ or lie 
will destroy the little Cutliolicisin which remains in England." Before 
this remedy could be applied the fate of King James was fixed. His 
folly and recklessness had aroused the whole English people to a keen 
sense of the danger impending over their liberties. 

The crisis was soon reached. The king imwisely declared that none 
should serve him but snch as would aid liim in his designs. There was 
soon an open rupture between the monarch and the Anglican Churcli 
and the great imiversities, which he sought to control. The royal 
soldiers in camp, the Churchmen and Dissenters, the Whigs and the 
Tories coalesced in sentiment, and an invitation was sent secretly to 
William of Orange to come and " deliver the land from popery and 
slavery. ' ' 

William had expected such an invitation for a long time, and was 
ready to accept it. lie gathered a fleet in Holland, for what purpose 
ueither James nor his friend and coreligionist, Louis of France, knew. 
After accepting the call of a nation for help, William published a decla- 
ration that he was bound for England to save the liberties of the people 
there, and to investigate the alleged birth of a Prince of Wales,* in 
which matter he and his wife were deeply concerned. 

^S^ith a strong land and naval force William reached Torbay, on the 
coast of Devonshire, where he landed on Xovember 5th, 16SS. The 
best men of the country joined his standard. James was forsaken by 
his army and family ; even his son-in-law. Prince George of Denmark, 
who married the Princess Anne, joined the deliverers. Perceiving that 
all was lost, James secretly sent his queen and infant son to France, and 
soon followed them thither. lie left his palace a little after midnight in 
December, and cast his Great Seal into the Thames ; but he was brought 
back. He succeeded in reaching France not long afterward. So ended 
the Stuart dynasty in Great Britain. 

On the llight of the king the goverimient authority was assumed by 
the House of Lords. They requested William of Orange to take control 
of public affairs and to call a convention, to assemble on January 22d 
following. That body declared William and Mary joint sovereigns of 
Great Britain. James made efforts to recover the throne he had abdi- 
cated, but failed. 

Xews of the revolution in England first reached Virginia, whence it 

* It was alleged that tlie son of James's Italian wife was only a siipix)sititious ehild, 
the offspring of another beside the queen. He was excluded from tlie succession. 
In 1715 he laid claim to the crown of Great Britain, and is known in liistory as " The 
Old Pretender." 



REVOLUTION IX EXGLAXD. 105 

was carried to New York, in February (1689), by a skipper, and coiii- 
numicated to Francis Nicholson at Fort James. He was the lieutenant- 
governor of the province. lie forbade its divulgence among the people, 
as he wished to prevent any " private tumults" until he could 
communicate with Andros, who was at Fort Charles at Pemaquid. 
Andros had departed from Pemaquid for Boston when the express 
arrived, and reached that place at near the close of March. The people 
tliere, suffering from the tyrannies of Andros, were on the verge of ojieu 
insurrection when, on the 1-lth of April, a vessel brought to Boston 
authentic information of the accession of William and Mary. Andros 
was seized and cast into prison, and soon afterward he, with fifty of his 
political associates, was sent to England, charged with maladministra- 
tion of affairs in the colonies. 

Meanwhile a crisis in public affairs had been reached at New York. 
The people there were also on the verge of insurrection when the " great 
news" was revealed in that ciiy. The authority of Lieutenant-Governor 
Nicholson was questioned by 
a large portion of the inhabi- 
tants of the city and province. 
Two parties were formed, one 
composed of the adherents of 
James, the other of the friends 

<• -rr'-i,. T -.r m> SIGNATUISE OK FRANCIS NICHOLSON. 

01 W ilham and Mary. The 
former embraced the aristo- 
cratic citizens, including Nicholas Bayard, the commander of the 
city militia, the members of the council, and the numicipal authori- 
ties. 

The friends of the new nionarchs formed a large majority of the citi- 
zens. They maintained that the entire fabric of the imperial govern- 
ment, inchiding that of the colonies, had been overthrown by the revolu- 
tion, and that, as no person was invested with authority in the province, 
it reverted to the legitimate source of all authority — the peo])le — who 
might delegate their powers to whomsoever they would. 

Among the principal supp)orters of this view was Jacob Leisler, a 
German by birth, a merchant, the senior captain of one of the five train- 
bands of the city commanded by Colonel Bayard, and one of the oldest 
and wealthiest inhabitants. His wife was Alice, daughter of Govert 
Looekermans. Pie was a zealous opponent of the Roman Catholics, and 
a man of great energy and determination. He was kind and benevolent, 
and was very popular. He had just bought lands in "Westchester County 
to form an asylum for persecuted Huguenots, who had tied from France 




106 



THE EMPIKE .STATE. 



after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.* Tiie domain was named 
Kew Roclielle, after Rochelle in France, from Avhich ])lace many of 
them came. 

Rumors of turrilile things contemphited hy the adherents of James 

spread over the town, and produced great 
excitement. The five companies of miHtia 
and a crowd of citizens gathered at the house 
of Leisler, and induced liim to become tlioir 
leader and guide in this emergency. Colonel 
Bayard attempted to disperse them, hut he 
w:is compelled to tly for his life. A distinct 
line was now drawn between the UTistod'ats, 
led bv Bayard, Van Cortlandt, Robert Liv- 
ingston, and otiiers, and the demorraix — the 
majority of the people — who regarded Leisler 
as their leader and champion. At his sug- 
gestion a " Committee of Safety" was formed, 
composed of ten members — Dutch, Huguenot, 
and English. They constituted Leisler " Captain of the Fort," and in- 
vested him with the j)owers of comnumder-in-chief — really chief magis- 
trate — until orders should come from the new monarch. This w;is the 




THE BAYARD ATJMS 




SKiNATUHK OF NICHOLAS BAYARD. 



first really republican ruler that ever attained to power in America, 
lie took possession of Fort James and the public funds that were in it, 
and in June, 1(581*, he proclaimed, with the sound of trumpets, William 
and Mary sovereigns of Great Britiiin and the colonies. Then he sent a 



* Jacob Leisler was born at Frankfort-on-the-Main, and emigrated to America in 1660. 
In 1683 be was appoinUd one of tlie commissioners of tlie Court of Admiralty at Xew 
York, and was tbe liMiUr in tlie popular movement of assuming the functions of govern- 
ment ou hearing of the revolution in England. The ix'ople chose him to be their governor 
until the new British sovereigns .should send them one. His ix)litici»l enemies finally 
brought him to the scaffold in 1691. 



LEISLER ASSUMES POLITICAL CONTROL. 



107 



letter to the king, giving him an account of what he had done. The New 
Englanders commended Leisler's acts. Lieutenant-Governor Nichol- 
son, Licking spii'it, and fast bound by " red tape," perceiving the strong 
support given to Leisler by the New Yorkers, departed for England after 
formally giving autiiority to his councillors to preserve the peace during 
his alisence, and until their Majesties' pleasure sliould be made known. 

At this juncture the northern colonies were thoroughly alarmed 1)y the 
opening hostilities of the French and Indians on the frontiers. A 
convention of delegates from the colonies of Massachusetts, Plymouth, 
Connecticut, and New York assembled at Albany, and there held a con- 
ference (September, IfiSO) with the heads of the Five Nations. The New 
England delegates tried to persuade the Irocpiois to engage in the war 
against the Eastern Indians, but they wisely declined. They, however, 
ratified the existing friendship between them and the English colonists. 




SIGNATURE AND SEAL OF JACOB LEISLER. 



Nicholson's desertion of his post gave Loisler and the Jk.epul)licans 
great advantages. He ordered the several counties of the province to 
elect their civil and military officers. Some counties obeyed, and others 
did not. The counter influence of Nicholson's councillors was contin- 
ually and persistently felt, and Leisler and his party became greatly 
incensed against them, especially against Ba3'ard, who was the chief insti- 
gator of the opposition to the " usurper," as he called the Republican 
leader. So hot became the indignation of Leisler and his friends that 
Bayard was compelled to fly for his life to Alljany. The other council- 
lors, alarmed, soon followed him. At Albany they acknowledged allegi- 
ance to William and iEary. They set up an independent government, 
and claimed to be the true and only rulers of the province. Li this 
position they were sustained by the civil authorities at Albany. 

Leisler now sent his son-in-law, Jacob Mill)orne, an Englishman, with 
three sloops filled with armed men and ammunition to take possession 



108 



THE E.MPIUK STATE. 







ROBEHT l.IVI.NGSTON. 



of Alliaiiy, protect the iii]ial)itiints against the menaced attack of the 

French from Canada, and to assert there the supreme power of the peo- 
ple's governor at New York. Mil- 
horne was instructed to Mithhold 
assistance against the l)arbarians in 
case lie sliould be denied admission 
to the fort. 

Milhorne, witli his force, arrived 
at Albany early in !Xoveniljer, and 
demanded of Mayor Schuyler, who 
Iiad been appointed tlie commander 
of the fort, admission to it. It 
M-as refused. At tliat time a 
convention, largely controlled by 
Tiobert Livingston, comjiosed of 
delegates from each ward in the 
•2^ city, was sitting daily in All)any, 
and exercising executive authority 
temporarily-. A deputation was 
sent from the convention to meet 
Milborne. They introduced him 

to the convention, when he liarangued the members for some time, l)ut 

Avith little effect. Then he presented his credentials to the recorder, ami 

afterward liarangued the poi^ulace in front of 

the City Hall, but they were not responsive. 
Milborne now took a bolder step. lie flung 

open the gate of the city near the fort, marched 

his men out -with loaded guns, and drawing 

them up in front of the stronghold, made a 

peremptory demand for its surrender. Schuy- 
ler refused e(jmpliance, and caused a protest 

of the convention to be read from one of the 

bastions. Some ]\Ioliawk warriors, who had 

been watching Milborne's movements from a 

neighboring hill, sent word to Schuyler that 

if the Xew Yorkers .should attack the fort 

they would lire on them. Perceiving his 

peril, Milborne took counsel of prudence, 

withdrew, dismissed liis men in confusion, and 

hastened back to Xew York. A letter soon came from the sheriff at 

Albany reporting treasonable words spoken by Robert Livingston con- 



j,-eEBOMEL$3^ 




THE LrVrNGSTON ARMS. 



LEISLER ORGANIZES GOVERNMENT. 



109 



ceniiiig King AVilliain. Leisler ordered Livingston's arrest, Ijut ]iu 
escaped to New England. Soon after this event a letter arrived at isew 
York by a special messenger from the British Privy Council, directed to 
" Francis Nicholson, Esq., or, in his absence, to such as, for the time 
lieing, take care for preserving the peace and administering the laws in 
His Majesty's province of New York." Bayard having heard of the 
document, entered the city in disguise, had a clandestine interview with 
the bearer of the letter, and claimed the right, as one of Nicholson's 
councillors, to ojien the despatch. The messenger refused to let him 
have it, l>ut delivered it to Leisler. whom he found acting as governor 
by the grant of the people. Leisler at once caused the arrest and im- 
prisonment of Bayard on a charge of a " high misdemeanor against His 
Majesty's authority. " From this 
time the opposition to Leisler's 
government assumed an organized 
shape, and was sleepless and re- 
lentless. Leisler justly regarding 
himself as invested with supreme 
power l)y the people and the 
spirit of the letter from the 
Privy Council, at once ass\;med 
the title of lieutenant-governor ; 
appointed councillors ; made a 
new provincial seal ; established 
courts, and called an assembly to 
provide means for carrying on 
war with Canada. The aggres- 
sive old Count Frontenac was 
again governor of that province, 
and was making preparations to 
extend the French dominion southward, 
be noted presently. 

Colonel Henry Sloughter was appointed Governor of New York, but 
did not arrive until the spring of 1091. Kichard Tngoldsby, a captain 




FIliST GREAT SEAL OF THE PKOVIXC'E OF 
NEW YOKK.* 



The conflict that ensued will 



* The first great seal of the province of New York was sent over by Governor 
Sloughter from 'William and 5Iary in 1691. It bears the full-length effigies of the joint 
sovereigns, before whom kneel two Indians in the position of offering gifts. The woman 
presents to the queen a beaver-skin ; the man presents to tlie king a roll of wampum. 
On the reverse of the seal are the royal arms of Great Britain, with the inscription round 
the circumference : SiGiLLr>f Provinc : Nosr : Nov : Ebok : etc. in America. Tliis 
seal was siipcrseded by one sent by Queen Anne in 170.5. 



110 



THE EMPIRE STATK. 



of foot, arrived early in the year, witli a company of regular soldiers, to 
take possession of and liold the government nntil the arrival of the gov- 
ernor. He was urged hy Leisler's enemies to assume supreme power at 

once, as lie was tlio highest royal 



c 




officer in tli 



lie liausrli- 



111 tiie j)rovince. ,^^ ..^,.^. 
tily demanded of Leisler tlie sur- 
render of the fort, without deigniii:.^ 
to show the governor hiscredentials. 
Leisler, of course, refused, and or- 
dered the troops to l)e quartered 
in the city. Ingoldsby attempteil 
to take the fort by force, but 
failed. For several weeks the city 
was fearfully excited by ris'al fac- 
tions — " Leislerians" and " aiiti- 
Leislerians." 

On the arrival of Governor 

Sloughter, in March (1691), Leisler 

at once loyally tendered to him the 

fort and the province. Under the 

influence of the enemies of Leisler, the roj'al governor responded to this 

meritorious action by ordering the arrest of the lieutenant-governor ; 

also Milborne, and six other " inferior insurgents" — Abraham Gouver- 



CERAKDUS BEECK.M.VN. 







SIGNATURE OF CERAliDl S UEECKMAN. 



neur (Leisler's secretary), Gerardus Beeckman,-' Jt>hanncs Yermilye, 
Tiiomas Williams, Myndert Coerten, and Abraham Brasher — on a 



* Gerardus Bccckninn, son of William Beeckman, was a leading citizen of Xew York, 
living at Brooklyn. He was a physician, and took a prominent jmrt in public tvffairs. 
He was one of Leisler's warmest iidheients, and was a member of liis council. After 
Leisler's death Dr. Beeckman was tried for treason, condemned, and .sentenced to b- 
hung, but was pardoned by order of the king in 1(394. He was a member of the proviii 
cial council under Governors Cornbury, Hunter, and Burnet, and died in 1724. 



SENTENCE OF LEISLEK AND ASSOCIATES. 



ill 



cliarge of high treason. Tlie accused were imprisoned. " Ijayard's 
chain was put npon Leisler's leg. " The enemies of tlie latter were re- 
solved on swift revenge. 

When the accused were arraigned, Leisler and Milborne refused to 
plead to the indictment, for they denied the 
authority of the court which had just been 
organized for the purpo.se, and was composed 
wholly of Bayard's political friends. Tlie 
judges were all councillors, and the petit jury 
was composed of " youths and other bitter 
men," quotes Brodhead. The trial, as liad 
been predetermined, resulted in the convic- 
tion of the accused, and tliey were sentenced 
to 1)0 hanged. All but Leisler and Milborne 
were afterward pardoned. The excepted 
prisoners had appealed to the king, but the 
perfidious councillors did not send their a])- 
jieal to His Majesty ! 

Evident enemies of Leisler, in Albany, sent 
word to Bayai-d, at whose house Governor Sloughter was staying, that 
the Mohawks, disgusted with the misnaanagement of Leisler, were in 
treaty with the French, and that it was indispensable that tlie governor 
should quickly conciliate the Five Nations. Bayard urged the governor 




THE 13EECKMAN ARMS 




SKiXArUUE OF AliltAlIAM GOUVEKNEUR. 



to act promptly. 80 urged, he asked tlio opinion of his Council, in which 
Bayard was most powerful. That body unanimously resolved, " That, 
as well for the satisfaction of the Indians as the asserting of the govern 



112 TIIK KMPTRE STATK. 

inent authority residiiis^ in liis Excellency, and pi"evcnting insurrections 
and disorders for the future, it is absolutely necessary tliat the sentence 
jironounced against the principal offenders he forthwitli i)ut into execu- 
tion." This resolution was communicated to the Assembly, which 
answered, " that this House, according to their opinion given, do approve 
of wliat his Excellency and Council have done." 

The governor hesitated ; for, though a libertine in morals and an 
habitual drunkard, he was a just man, and had determined not to sign 
the death-warrants of the convicted until he should hear from his sov- 
ereign, supposing Leisler's appeal had been sent to him. 

Meanwhile the people, in large )iuml)ers, signed petitions to the gov- 
ernor for the pardon of these prisoners. The council became alarmed, 
and caused the arrest of some of those who brought the jietitions. Fear- 
ing the effects of the daily increasing clamor of the people ; determined 
to have the lives of the prisoners, and finding they could not induce 
the governor to violate justice or his conscience, the councillors con- 
spired to extort from him his signature to the death-warrant by foul 
means. They invited him to a dinner-party at the house of one of 
them, on Staten Island, on a l)eautiful day in May. One of the coun- 
cillors carried to the bancpiet a legally drawn death-warrant, and when 
the governor was sufficiently stupefied by excessive draughts oi wine, 
he was induced to sign the awful paper, iinconscious of its purport. It 
■was sent to the sheriff at New York the same evening, and the next 
morning Leisler and Milborne were summoned to prepare for immediate 
execution. They sent for their wives and cliildren, and after a sorrow- 
ful parting, the two victims were led to the scaffold in a drenching rain. 
Their enemies, fearing the governor might reprieve the prisoners, kept 
him drunk, and the victims were hanged before he became sober.* 
The scaffold stood near the site of the Trlhune building, on Printing 
House Square, Xew York. 

An eye-witness of this murder l)y the form of law wrote that just at 
the moment of the execution the heavens grew black, the rain fell in 
torrents, and the screams of women, who were present, were heard 
on every side. Restrained by the troops, only a few citizens were 
present. Milborne, seeing among them Livingston, one of the woi-st 

* 'We have observed that six of the friends of Leisler condemned t<i dcatli weiv 
pardoned. On the day of the execution of Leisler and Milborne (May Ititli, IGSlli 
the Legislature of Xew York passed an act for the pardon of all such as had been 
active " in the late disorders." Twenty-two persons received the benefit of this act. In 
IfiOO an act of indemnity was passed in favor of all these persons excepting Leisler and 
Jlillwrne. 



EXECUTION OF LEISLER AND MILBORNE. 113 

enemies of Leisler, said, " Robert Livingston, I will implead tliee at 
the bar of Heaven for this deed."' Leisler uttered a prayer f or bless- 
iiii;;s upon the province and his family ; and alluding to his enemies, 
he said, "' Father, forgive them ; they know not what they do." 

" Thus perished," says Hoffman, " the loyal and noble Captain Leisler 
of New York ; so loyal to his king, so noble to his compatriots." 
His enemies extended their malice to his family and that of i\Iil- 
borne. They were attainted, and their property was confiscated. 
But justice was swift in righting a great wrong. Before four years 
had passed by their property was restored, aud the British Parlia- 
ment declared that Leisler and Milborne were innocent of the crime 
of treason. 

"When the governor became sober, he was appalled at what he had 
done. He was so keenly stung by remorse and afflicted by delirium 
iremens that he died a few weeks afterward. Calm and impartial 
judgment, enlightened by truth, now assigns to Jacob Leisler the high 
position in history of a patriot and martyr. 



114 THE EMPIRE STATE. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The revolution of It'iSS in Enijlund prodnced nnicli sufteriiii; in SDiiie 
of tlie Enijlisli colonics, for it was tlie canseof war between (rreat Britain 
and France, which extended to their respective American dominions. 
It continued about seven years, and is known in American history as 
"Kin^r William's War." 

In this conflict the Indians bore a conspicuous part, and terrible were 
many of their achievements. Under the influence of Jesuit priests they 
became allies of the French. 

IIi)stilities beifan in the East in the summer of 1CS9. The Indians 
attacked tlie frontier settlements of Xew England in July, killing and 
torturing many white people. In August a war-party fell ujion tlie 
stockade at renuuiuid, in Maine, and captured the garrison. A few 
montiis later Governor I'rontenac sent an expedition into New York, 
with the design of seizing All)any. lie liad gathered at Montreal a 
larii;e military force of French and barbarians, and in the dead of winter 
(February, lOTU) he despatciied over two hundred French and Indians 
(eighty of the latter were " praying Indians," or Roman Catholic con- 
verts), under two lieutenants, with ordei"s to penetrate the Mohawk 
country and attempt the capture of Albany. 

The weather was intensely cold, and the snow was dee]i. The ex- 
pedition traversed the wilderness with snow-shoes. It was resolved at 
a council to first attack Schenectady, a stockaded village containing about 
eighty comfortal)le houses, on the bank of the Mohawk River. A few 
Connecticut soldiers were in it. As the expedition drew near the place 
they met some Indian women who directed them how to enter the vil- 
lage secretly l)y one of tiie two gates, which was always standing open. 
The villagers, unsuspicious of any danger, felt so secure that a few 
hours before the attack, when warned l>y the commander of the soldiers 
to be vigilant, they set up some snow images in mockery to personate 
sentinels. 

Tiie blow fell upon Schenectady suddenly and with friglitfnl energy 
at midnight, while the inhabitants were asleep. Sixty-tiiree persons 
were massacred, twenty-seven were carried into captivity, and the Dutch 
Church and sixty-three houses were laid in ashes. Nearly all of the 
little garrison were killed. A few persons escaped to Albany, travelling 



EXPEDITIONS AGAINST CANADA. 11.5 

tlinini;'li tlie snow in the keen wintry ;iir in tlieir niglit-clotlies. In- 
formed of the streiigtli of Albany, the invaders did not attempt its cap- 
ture, lint liastened back toward Canada with their plnnder. 

Governor Leisler now proposed a nnion of New York and New Eng- 
land, in an effort to conquer Canada and expel the French from the 
Continent. At tlie suggestion of IMassachnsetts he called a Colonial 
Congress, which met in New York in April — the lirst ever convened in 
America. An arrangement was made for an invasion of Canada. All 
the colonies were aroused to a sense of mutual danger, and the Congress 
resolved to invade Canada by land and sea. It was agreed that New 
York should provide ±00 men ; Massacliusetts, 160 ; Connecticut, 135, 
and Plymouth, 60, while ]\Iar\'land promised 100, making a total land 
force of S57. 

To stimulate Massachusetts to undertake a naval expedition against 
the Frencli, Leisler fitted out three war-vessels for the capture of 
Quebec, commissioned to " attack Canada and take Frencli prisoners at 
sea." This little squadron — the first war-ships sent oiit from New York 
— sailed late in May, with orders to stop at Cape Ann, and going on to 
Port Royal, Acadia, " entice the Boston fleet" to go witli them. Tlie 
latter, commanded by Sir William Phips, and bearing about eight hun- 
dred men, did go to Port Poyal (May, 1690), and seized and plundered 
it. That place was soon afterward plundered again by English privateers 
from the AVest Indies. 

Encouraged by these successes, another expedition was planned, having 
for its object an invasion of Canada by land and water. It was arranged 
for an army to march from Albany l)y way of Lake Champlain to 
^[outreal, and at the same time a strong naval armament was to sail 
from Poston, ascend the St. Lawrence, anil attack Quebec. The army 
was jtlaced under the command of General Winthrop, a son of Governor 
Winthrop, of Connecticut, the cost of the expedition to be borne 
jointly by that colony and New York. The command of the fleet, 
which was composed of thirty-four vessels manned by two tiiousand 
New Englanders, was given to Sir William Phips, •who, as we have 
observed, had seized and plundered Port Royal a short time before. 

Tlie army moved slowly from Albany early in July. The greater 
jjortion of the troops had only I'eached the head of Lake Champlain 
(now White Hall) early in September, where they remained for want of 
boats or canoes, while some white troops and Iroquois Indians, com- 
manded by Captain John Schuyler, pushed on toward tlie St. Lawrence. 
Old Count Frontenac was in Montreal when lie was informed of the 
approacli of the invaders. He called out his Indian allies, and taking ii 



no THE EMPIRE STATE. 

tonialiiiwk in liis liaiul, the aiced iiobleinan danced tlie wardanne and 
chanted tlie war-song in tlieir presence. The excited braves were then | 
led by him against the foe. Schuyler was compelled to withdraw, and 
the whole army returned to Xew York. The expedition M'as a failure, 
partly from a want of supplies and partly from sickness. 

Phips sailed from Boston, and M'ithout pilots or charts crawled cau- 
tiously around Acadia and uji the St. Lawrence for nine weeks. A swift 
Indian i-unner, starting from Pemaijuid, carried the news of the naval 
expedition to Frontenac at Montreal in time tu enable him to reacli 
Quebec with re-enforcements early enough to strengthen its defences 
before the arrival of Phips. When the '* admiral " appeared before tiiu 
town and demanded its surrender, Frontenac treated the summons with 
contempt.'-" Failing in attempts to take the city, and hearing of the 
failure of tlie land expedition, Pliips returned to Boston. 

Leisler attributed the failure of the land expedition to Winthrop, and 
even charged him with treaciiery, and put him under arrest awhile. 
Winthrop charged the failure chiefly to the incompetency of Milborne. 
Leisler's son-in-law, who had engaged to furnish boats for transportation 
and all other .supplies, but failed to do so in time. 

Tlie French and their l)arbarian allies in Canada and Acadia were 
greatly elated by the repulse of their assailants ; and so important was 
the event regarded by French statesmen, that King Louis caused a medal 
to be struck bearintj his likeness on one side and on tlie other a tigure 
seated on military trophies, symbolizing France, with the legend around } I 
it : " Fkaxck YicTORiors ix Xew Exglanh.'' The expedition ex- 
hausted the treasury of ]\rassacliusetts, and compelled the Government 
to emit new bills of credit. Tlio first emission was in February, 169n, 
and was the first paper money ever issued on the continent of America. 

On the death of Governor Sloughter (June Kith, IG'.U) the care of 
the Government devolved upon Dudley,'!' the chief-justice and senior 

* Sir William sent a messenger -nith a ■written demand for the surrender of the city. 
The bearer was taken, blindfolded, before Frontenac, who, after reading the demand, 
angrily threw the paper in the nies-senger's face, and gave liis answer that " Sir William 
Phips and those with liini were heretics and traitoi-s, and had taken tip with that usurpc r 
the Prince of Orange, and ha<l made a revolution which, if it had not been made, Xew 
England and the French had all been one ; and that no other answer was to be expecle 1 
from him but what should be from the mouth of Ins cannon." 

t Joseph Dudley was born in Ro.xbiiiy, Mass., in 1647 ; died there in 1720. He repre- 
sented his native town in the General Court from 1673 to 16S1, and was one of the Com- 
missioners of the United Colonies of Xew England. In 1683 he was .agent of the colony 
of Massachusetts in England. .James II. api>iiiiiled him President of Xew England in 
168.5, and in 1687 he was commissioned Chief . Justice of tlie Superior Court, and the ne.xt 
vear he was sent to England with Andros by the Bostouiaus, who e.\i>elled them from 



CHARACTER AND ADMINISTRATION OF FLETCHER. 



iir 



ineiiiber of the governor's council. He was then aljsent at Gura^oa. 
His associates filled his pLace temporarily with Captain Ingoldsby, wiio, 
as commander of the troops, had more real power than any one else in 
tlie province. He held the position until late the next year, when, at 
the close of Angust, Colonel Benjamin Fletcher, wlio had been commis- 
sioned Governor of Xew York, arrived. Fletcher v/as by profession a 
soldier, a man of strong passions, inconsiderable ability, aristocratic in 
his tendencies, opposed to all popular concessions, averse to religious 
toleration, and very avaricious. Fortunately for liimself and the public 
welfare, he early became acquainted with Major Peter Schuyler, of 
Albany, who had almost nnliouiided influence over the Five Xations 
The governor appointed him one of his council, and his influence there 
was equally salutary. He so guided tlie conduct of the governor that 
he saved the magistrate from becoming intolerably obnoxious to the 
people, for Fletcher" s incessant solicitations for money, his passionate 
temper, and his ])igotry were continually manifested. During the whole 




SIGNATURE AXD SEAI, OP GOVERNOR. FLETCHER. 

of his administration of seven years, party rancor, kindled by the death 
of Leisler, burned intensely, and at one time menaced the province with 
civil war. He adopted the views of the anti-Leislerians, and became 
their supple instrument. 

Although the New York Assembly was filled with l)itter opponents of 
Leisler, they, as boldly as he, asserted the supremacy of the people, and 
would suffer no encroachments on colonial rights and privileges. They 
rebuked the interference of the governor in legislation Iw insisting npou 
amendments to iiills, and drew from lum on one occasion the reproachful 
words which tell of their independence and firmness : " There never 
was an amendment desired by the Council Board," said Fletcher, '• but 



the colony. Then he was made Chief -Ju.stice of New York (1690), where he served until 
1693. when he returned to England and was made Deputy-Governor of the Isle of Wight. 
He was in Parliament in 1701, and from 1702 until 171") he was Captain-General and 
Governor of Jlassachusetts. Retired to private life at Ro.xbury. 



118 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

what it was rejected. It i.s a sign of a stubborn ill-temper.'" With 
that '' stubborn ill-temper" of the Asseiiil)ly the governor was almost 
continually in conflict, and when he Wiis recalled he seemed as glad to 
leave the province as the people were to get rid of him.* 

From the beginning of Fletcher's administration, Frontenac almost 
continually gave the province uneasiness by his attempts to win the Five 
Nations to the French interest by persuasions and threats. Failing to 
persuade them, he struck the Mohawks a severe blew early in 169.'». 
Colonel Schuyler hastened from Albany M-ith pale and dusky volunteers 
to the aid of the Iroipiois, and drove the invaders Ijack. lie re-took 
about fifty captives from the French. 

"When Fletcher heard of tiiis invasion, he hastened to Albany with 
three hundred militia volunteers. The river being free of ice, they 
ascended it to Albany in s!oo]>s, with a fair wind, in three days. This 
promptness and celerit}' gained great credit for the governor. The 
Iroquois called him " The very Swift Arrow." 

The restless Frontenac continually disturbed the Five Nations and the 
English by menaces, until finally, in the sununer of WM), he invaded 
the heart of the country- of the Iroquois with a large army. lie had 
gathered at Montreal all the regulars and militia under his command and a 
host of Indian warriors ; and in light i)oats and bark canoes they ascended 
the St. Lawrence, entered Lake Ontario, and crossed it to the mouth of 



* To Governor FlctchtT was intrusted the large powers of eommander-incliicf of the 
militia of Connecticut and New .Jersey. Late in the autunui of \(Wi he went to Hartford 
with Colonel Bayard and others to itsscrt his authority there, which had been (luestioned. 
He ordered out the Connecticut militia when the season for parades liad ended. The 
charter of the colony denied Fletcher's jurisdiction. The Assembly, then in session, 
])rom])tly gave utterance to that denial on this occasion. Fletcher haughtily said to the 
governor: "I will not set my foot out of this colony until I have seen His JIajest.v's 
commission obeyed. ' ' The governor yielded so much as to allow Captain AVadsworth to 
call out the train-bands of Hartford. 

When these troops were assembled Fletcher stepped forward to take the coinniand. and 
ordered Hayard to read his E.xcellency's coramission. At that moment AVadsworth 
ordereil the drums to be beaten. 

" Silence !" angrily crietl Fletcher, and Bayard began to read again. 

" Drum ! drum ! I .say !" shouted AVadsworth, and the voice of Bayard was drowned 
in the sonorous roll tlial followed. Fletcher, enraged, stamped his foot and critnl, 
" Silence !" and threatened the cajitain with ])unishment. AVadsworth instantly stepped 
in front of the irate governor, and while his hand rested on his sword-belt, he said in a 
firm voice : 

"If my drummers are interrupKil again I'll make the sunlight show through you. 
AVe deny and defy your authority." 

The governor was a coward. He meekly foldeil up his commis.sion. and w ilh his n t- 
inue retired to Xew A'ork. He complained to the king, but nothing came of it. 



THE FRENCH IXVADE THE FIVE NATIONS. 119 

the Onondaga River at Oswego. This narrow and rapid stioani they 
ascended (carrying the boats around the falls) to Onondaga Lake, fifty 
men marching on each side of the river. The Onondagas had sent away 
tlieir wives and children, and had determined to defend their castle near 
the shore of the lake ; but when they discovered the number of the in- 
vadei-s and the nature of their weapons, they set fire to their village and 
fled into the deep forest. The old Count Frontenac was carried in 
an elbow-chair. His only trophy was a venerable sachem about one 
hundred years old, who saluted him at the castle. With the count's 
permission the French Indians put the old man to the most ex(juisite 
tortures, which he bore with amazing fortitude and defiance. 

"When the invaders turned their forces toward Canada, the Onondagas 
pursued them, and annoyed them all the way. Tliis expensive expedi- 
tion and the continual incursions of the Five Nations into the country 
near Montreal spread famine in Canada. Frontenac continued to send 
out scalping parties until the treaty of Eyswyk, in 1897, brought com- 
parative peace to the contending nations. Count Frontenac died the 
next year. 

From the bei^innino- of his administration Fletcher made strenuous 
efforts to introduce the Anglican Church, with its ritual, into the city and 
province of Xew York. He M'as very intemperate in his zeal to acconi- 
plisii his pui'pose, for he was a bigot. • A majority of the inhabitants of 
the province were of Dutch descent, and were members of the Dutch 
Reformed Church, which they regarded as the established church in 
Xew York. 

The governor succeeded in procuring from the Assembly, in IfiOS, an 
act which he construed as giving him the right to recognize the Anglican 
instead of the Dutch Reformed Cliurch as the State religion. Under 
this act Trinity Church was organized, and its first edifice for public 
worship was completed in 1696.* The first printing-press in the prov- 
ince Avas set up l>y William Bradford, a Quaker from Philadelphia, in 
1603. He was afterward employed by the city government to print the 
corporation laws and ordinances. In 1725 Bradford began the publica- 



* This church corporation still exists. The first vestrymen wore : Tliomas Wenham 
and Robert Lustini:, ch'iirh-tmrdens ; Caleb Heathcote, William Merrill. .Tohn Tudor, 
James Emott. William >Iorris. Thomas Clarke, Ebenezer AVilsoii. Samuel Burt, James 
Everts, Nathaniel Marston. Michael Howden, John Crooke, William Sharpas. Lawrence 
Reed, David Jamison, William Huddleston, Gabriel Ludlow, Thomas Burrouirhs, John 
Merritt, and William Janeway. 

There i.s no drawing of the flr.<rt church editice in existence. The engraving represents 
the second or enlarged church, erected iu ITiiT. It was destroyed by fire in 1TT6. 



120 



'I'lIK KMl'IUH STATK. 



tioii of a newspaper in Xcw York, tlic first over issued in tliat province. 
l)nriiifr Fletcher's administration an oriranized system of piracy (its name 
softened to '' privateering'") grew up and extensively jjrevailed, espe- 
cially on the coasts of New York and the middle provinces. Some of 
these marauder sailed out of the port of New Y(jrk, and merchai 



unit ves- 




g|f|!*fPfff»;-|i 







OI^D TKI.NITV CIUKCH. 



sels M-ere seized and plundered in sight of that port. The system was 
then encouraged hy governments as a strong arm in lighting their ene- 
mies, and by men in high jilaces, who, as shareholders in " privateers," 
found it ]n-ofital)Ie. It iinally became so odious, so absolutely piratical, 
and so injurious to commerce, that it was resolved to break up tlic system. 
Fletcher's direct and indirect connection with the ])irates, Lis ]ietty 
tyranny, his participation in frauds in making grants of land, and his 
universal unpopularity caused his recall in 1695, when Richard Coote, 
Earl of Bellomont,* an Irish peer, was appointed his successor. The 

* Richard Cooti' was l)orn in the county of Sligo. Ireland, in 1030. and succeeded his 
father as Baron of Coloony in 1083. He was ann)ng the lirst wlio espoused the cause of 
the Prince of Orange in 1688. On the accession of .lames he went to tlie Continent, but 
returned in 1688 and became a member of Parliament. He was made the treasurer of 
Queen Mary, and wa.s created Earl of Belloinont. Succeedin.g Fletcher a.s Governor of 
Xew York, his conduct there made him po])ular. Bellomont died in Xcw York City. 



GOVERNOR BELLO:>rOXT AND PRIVATEERING 



121 



earl was specially charged to investigate the conduct of his predecessor, 
to enforce the navigation laws, and to suppress piracy. But the earl 
did not arrive in the province until April, 109S, when he liore the com- 
mission of governor not only of 
>,'ew York, liut of ilassachusetts 
and Xew Hampshire. To assist 
him in his arduous duties, he 
hrono-ht with him his kinsman, 
John Xanfan, as Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor of Xew York. The British 
Government seemed powerless to 
suppress the pirates. They infested 
almost everysea. Before Bellomont 
left England a stock company was 
formed for the purpose of at- 
temjjting the task. It was com- 
posed of the king, Governor 
Bellomont, several noblemen, Rob- 
ert Livingston, the first ''Lord of 
tlie Manor of Livingston," and 
others. They fitted out the galley 
Adventure as a "privateer," well 
manned, armed, and provisioned. 

Livingston, who had proposed the scheme, recommended Captain William 
Kidd, a notable shiii-master of Xew York (then in England), as her 

commander." He was commis- 
sioned by King AVilliani, sailed 
from PlymoTith for Xew York in 
April, 169(3, and soon did noble 
service in clearing American waters 
of pirates. Then he sailed for East- 
ern seas ■with a crew of one hun- 
dred and fifty-five men to measure strength with the pirates in the 
Lidian Ocean. 







\ '^ \4^\"^ 



earIj of bellomont. 




w^ 



SIGXATLRE OB' E.U5L OF BELLOMONT. 



* This privateering company was proposed by Robert Livingston, wlio offered to be 
" coneerned witli Kidd a fiftli part in the ship and cliarges. The king approved tlie proj- 
cet, raising a tentli share to show that he was concerned in the enterprise." Lord Chan- 
cellor Somers, the Duke of Shrewsbury, the Earls of Roniuey and Oxford, Sir Edward 
Harrison, and others joined in the scheme to the amount of |30,000. The management 
of the whole affair was left to Lord Bellomont. Kidd sailed from Plymouth for iNcw 
York in his own ship in April, 1696. 



122 Till-; KM I'll! K STATK 

l\i<l(l was successful as 7i j^rivateer, Imt soon became a 2>iratc liiinself. 
At iladagascar lie exclianged his ship for aiiotiier, and swept the seas 
for booty from Fartlier India to the coasts of Soutli America, respect- 
ing no flag or iiatiouuhty. Thence lie made his way homeward (I'HtS), 
and on Gardiner's Island, east of Long Island, he buried mncli treasure, 
consisting of gold, silver, and precious stones. His piracies were known 
in England long before the company noticed tliem. Tiie belief liecame 
general tliat the monarch, tlie earl, the Lord of the Manor and their 
noble associates had sjiared the plunder with Kidd. It l)ecame neces- 
sary to vindicate tlicir character. They needed a scapegoat, and Kidd 
was made their victim. After Iturving his treasures he appeared openly 
in Boston, for in his pocket was his king's commission, and Governor 
Bellomont. wIid was there, was his partner in business. What had he to 
fear? Tlie earl, expressing a horr<)rof Kidd's crimes, ordered his arrest, 
and he was brought before his' associates a prisoner in irons. 

Kidd sought Bellomont's favor by revealing to him the place where 
the treasures were hidden. It was a critical moment for the earl, for 
his safety lay in an attitude of immovable tirnmess. lie was deaf to the 
prayers of the prisoner and the entreaties of his wife for inercy, human 
and divine, for her erring husband. There was a severe struggle in the 
breast of the governor between pride and fear and his Ijetter nature. 
Tiie former triumphed. Kidd was sent to England in fetters to be tried on 
a charge of piracy and murder. He was convicted of the second-named 
offence, and was hanged in London, iu Jfay, 1701. So the penalty of 
omission, at least, of the associate king ant! noliles and rich citizens was 
borne by the poor commoner on the scaffold. The earl secured the 
buried treasure, and at his coffers its history ends in impenetrable 
mystery. 

Bellomont arrived at Xew York in the spring of 1608. Before he 
sailed for America lie had learned much concerning ])ubHc affairs in the 
jjrovince from llobert Livingston, who had been one of the bitterest 
foes of Leisler. Aware that the new governor had espoused the cause 
of Lei.sler and Milborne, and always willing to favor the stronger side 
in public questions, Livingston now changed his political position. On 
his return to I^ew York he was found to Vjc a professedly M'arm friend 
of the new governor, as lie had been of Fletcher. He had shared with 
the latter tlie jirotits of " i)rivateering, " and had flourished under liis 
official favor. ^<ow as Bellomont had attached himself to tiie democratic 
or Leislerian party, Livingston found himself opposed to his old asso- 
ciates. Bayard, Van Gortlandt, and otiiers, who still held places in the 
council, and wielded much power. Livingston had become a /'(^?/w« — 



POLITICAL CONDITION OF THE PROVINCE. 123 

the possessor of a manorial estate of many thousand acres on tlie eastern 
border of tiie Hudson River, south of the Yan Rensselaer ^Slanor. 
Active, shrewd, and intelligent, he became one of the most useful men 
in the province. 

The Provincial Assembly convened on the ISth of May, 169S. It 
comprised nineteen members. In his speech to them the governor 
alluded to the legacy his predecessor had left him — " a divided people ; 
an empty purse ; a few miserable, naked, lialf-starved soldiers, not half 
the number the king allowed pay for ; the fortifications and even the 
Government House very much out of repair ; the province a receptacle 
of pirates, and tlie Acts of Trade violated by the neglect and connivance 
of those whose dut}' it was to have prevented it." It Avas a severe 
couinicntary on the conduct of his predecessor when he added : " I 
will take care there shall l)e no misapplication of the public money ; I 
■will pocket none of it myself, nor shall there be any embezz.lement by 
others." Perceiving the danger to be apprehended from so small a 
body through undue influences, the governor recommended an increase 
of the number of representatives to thirtj*. 

The Assembly was strongly anti-Leislerian in its composition. The 
members agreed in a hearty address of thanks to the new governor, but 
really in nothing else. They wrangled continually. The late elections 
formed a subject for angry controversy. At the beginning of June six 
members seceded, when the governor dissolved the Assembly, and soon 
afterward dismissed two of his council who were specially obnoxious. 
They were all anti-Leislerians, and friends of Fletcher.* 

Bellomont found the province disturbed by the continued hostile atti- 
tude of the French in Canada toward the Five Nations. He sent 
Colonel John Schuyler and Dominie Dellius (April, 169S) to Count 
Frontenac, at Montreal, with tidings of the treaty of peace at Ryswyk, 
and a request for an exchange of prisoners, " whether Cliristians or 
Indians," who had been taken in wars between the French and the Five 
Kations and the English. The old count, still claiming for France 
sovereignty over the Iroquois, refused to give up l:)arbarian prisoners ; 
and Jesuit priests insisted upon keeping up missionary stations among 
the Iroquois in defiance of the opposition of the latter. Bellomont 
finally said to Frontenac :" If it is necessary I will arm every man in 
the provinces under my government to oppose you, and redress the 
injury you may perpetrate against our Indians." He added that he 

* The following gentlemen composed the council : Frederick Philipse, Stephen Van 
Cortlandt, Nicholas Bayard, Gabriel Mlenvielle, William Smith, AVilliani Nicoll, Thomas 
AVillctI, William Pinhorne. Jciliii T.awivnci-. 



124 Tin: KMPIHE STATK. 

would not suffer them to be insulted ; and he threatened to execute tlie 
laws of England upon the missionaries " if they continued lonirer in 
the Five Cantons." Another war seemed to be impending, but this 
certainty was averted by the deatli of Frontenac in the fall of 1698.* 
During this controversy, Hellomont visited Albany to strengthen the 
Iro(piois by his presence and by material aid. On his return lie com- 
pleted the weeding out of obnoxious members of his council. Pinhorne 
and Brook had been dismissed from office in June, and now Bayard, 
j[ienvielle,_ Willett, and Lawrence were suspended, and riiilipse re- 
signed. Their respective places were soon filled. Abraham de Peyster, 
Bobert Livingston, Dr. Samuel Staats, and Robert "Walters took seats 
at the Board. They were all Leislerians. 

The anti-Leislerians perceived that they liad notliing to expect from 
the new governor. Indeed, he did not conceal his indifference to their 
praise or censure. He continually opposed and exasperated their loaders. 
Early in the fall of 1(!1;»8 he granted to the families of Leisler and 
Milbornc the privilege of exhuming the remains of their murdered 
kinsmen and giving them ChristiaTi burial. They were taken from tlie 
soil near the gallows into which they had been almost as rudely thrust 
seven years before as if they were mere brutes. They were placed in 
coffins, and at tlie request <if tlicir political friends they were permitted 
to lie in state in tiie old Cit}- ILiil, at Coenties Slip, several days. Tlierc 
was fearful public excitement during the time, for this act was fraught 
with a significance almost incomprehensil)le to xis. It was a gauntlet of 
defiance cast by the democracy of the day at the feet of the aristocracy. 

The re-interment of the remains of the martyi-s was marked l)y 
imposing ceremonies. It was late in September, and the autumnal 
"equinoctial storm"' w;is raging.* Fearing a riot, the governor fur- 
nished a military guard to tlie procession of men, women, and children, 
who were preceded by trumpeters and drnmmers beating a funeral 
march. From the City Hall they moved witii solemn tread, unmind- 
ful of the wind and rain, and deposited the precious burdens in one 
grave in tlic l)urial-groun(l of the little Dutch Reformed Church, in 



* On every occasion the Frencli did all in their power to win the alliance and the 
allegiance of the Iroquois by tlattery, by disiilays of power, and esix'cially by the spectac- 
idar ministrations of the Roman Catholic t'hureli, wliicli captivated llie barbaric imag- 
ination. As an illustration. Dr. C'adwallader Colden mentions the parade made by the 
Frencli at Montreal on the occasion of the funeral of one of their Indians. " The priest 
that attended him at his death," says C'oldcn, "declared that he died a true Christian, 
and as a proof he gave his exclamation on hearins of the crucifixion : ' Oh, had I been 
there I would have revenged his death and brought away their scalps I ' " 



LEISLERIAXS OR DEMOCRATS IX POWER. 



125 



Garden Street, near Wall Street.* " There M-as a great concourse of 
iieople [twelve hundred 'tis said] at the funeral," wrote Belloraont to 
the Lords of Trade, " and M-ould, 'tis thought, have been as manv 
niore, but that it blew a rank stonn for two or three days together, that 
hindered people from coming down or crossing the rivers." 

A new Assembly convened in March, lfi99. It was almost entirely 
Leislerian or democratic in character. The governor, lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, and the council were the same. A great change in public affairs 
soon appeared. Among the most radical and influential members of tlie 
Assembly M-as Abraham Gouverneur, who liad been Leisler's secretary, 
iiad been condemned to death Init pardoned, and had married the widow 
of Milliorne. He represented Orange County. 

Wrongs were righted and wrongs were committed l>y this reacting 
Assembly. Highteons indem- 
nifications were granted, and 
liberal allowances were voted 
for the governor and lieuten- 
ant-governor. Such was the 
confidence reposed in the in- 
tegrity and judgment of Bel- 
lorn out, that a revenue for six 
years was voted and placed at 
his absolute disposal. 

The most important Imsi- 
ness of the Assembly was the 
revocation of most extrava- 
gant a!id fraudulent grants of 
lands by Governor Fletcher 
for money considerations 
which swelled his purse. 

These grants were made to favorites. Among others, and the most con- 
spicuons of the receivers of these grants, was Nicholas Bayard, Fletcher's 
right-hand man, whose acres thus bestowed exceeded in number those of 
any patroou. He and others attempted to monopolize all the lands on tlic 




DUTCU KEFOH.MED CHURCH IN GARDEN STREET. 



* This little structure was built of wood, octagonal in form, with a very high, steep 
roof, and a cupola in the centre of it surmounted by a " weather-cocli. '" It was enlarged 
and repaired in 1776, and was rebuilt of stone in 1807. It stood upon a lane extending 
en.stward from Broad Street parallel with Wall Street. The grounds on the lane were 
neatly laid out and well cultivated, and it received the name of " Garden Lane," and 
linally Garden Street, now Exchange Place. When it was built, in 1693, it was considered 
lather too far out of town. 



1^6 



TIIK KMl'lKK STATE. 



tipper Ilndson and tlie !^[oll:l\vl< liivur. Dominie Dollius, of tlie Dutcli 
llcfoniied Cliurcli, was convicted of ol)taining, by fraud, an enormous 
tract of land from the Indians, while holding an official position among 
them, which Fletcher had confirmed on receiving a portion of tlic 
plunder as a i)ril)e. The timely demolition hy the Assembly and the 
governor of these huge schemes of land monopoly removed a great bar 
to emigration to the interior of the province of Xew York. It also 




NKW CITY HALL, NEW YOKK, 1700. 



served to maintain tlie good-will of the Five Nations, who had been 
disturbed by the operation of these land robbers under Fletcher. 

Eiirl rielloinont went to Boston in June, 1000, leaving the jn-ovince 
of New York in the care of Lieutenant-Governor Xanfan. Little of 
public importance occurred during his absence, excepting further mis- 
chievous meddling with the Iroquois by the French in Canada and the 
Jesuit missionaries. The carl returned in the summer of 17"U, and met 
the Assembly. Irritated by the conduct of the French, and especially 
by that of the missionaries, that body, at the earl's suggestion, passed a 
law for hanging every Roman Catholic priest who should come volun- 
tarily into the province — a law which Chief-Justice Smith, the his- 
torian, writing fifty or sixty years afterward, said '' ought to be in full 
force to this day." 

Governor 15ellomoiit died in the eitv of New York on the ath of 



BELLOMONT AND 1118 ENEMIES. Vil 

Mairli, ITnl. Ilis remains lay in state a day or two, when they were 
buried with pulilic honors undei- the eliapel of the fort. A few days 
afterward his arms were carried in state and phiced on the front of the 
new City Hall, then just completed, in Wall Street, at the head of Broad 
Street. Ilis remains, enclosed in a leaden coffin, were transferred to 
St. Paul's churchyard nearly a hundred years afterward, where they 
still lie. 

Lord Bellomont had many and bitter enemies and also warm friends. 
The late Frederick de Peyster, LL.D., wrote on this subject : 

" I am convinced that he was persistently maligned and abused solely 
because he had an eye to the public service and not to individual ad- 
vancement. Strange to say, his enemies were to be found among all 
classes — a fact which, to my mind, however, determines his great honesty 
and independence of character. Those engaged in illegal trade hated 
him, because he was not to be bribed or cajoled into tolerating the least 
infraction of laws. The merchants were also his enemies, because he 
would not violate his obligation of office and wiidc at their eviisions of 
the Acts of Trade. All opposed to Leisler and Milborne were against 
him, because he carried out the Acts of Parliament ordering that justice 
be done their memory. Even a greater part of the clergy were arrayed 
against him : those of the Dutch Church because he would not tolerate the 
iniquitous conduct of Dellius [see page 126] ; and those of the English 
Church because he would not alienate a portion of the estate attached to 
the governor's I'esidence. Thus it will be seen the jjrivate interests of a 
large class were opposed to law ; and Bellomont, as the representative of 
the law and its faithful administrator, was reprobated and vilified by 
that class." 



128 



THK E:>rpin?: state. 



CHAPTER X. 



Kew political troubles in tlie province appeared on the deatli of 
Governor Beliomont (March, 1701). Lieutenant Governor Nanfan was 
then in Barbadoes, and tlie question arose, Who shall rigiitfully exercise 
the powers of government '. Tlie Leislerians declared that the ])ower 
devolved on the Council collectively : the president of tlie Council, 
Colonel William Smith, contended that he alone had a right to exercise 

the supreme provincial jiow- 
er. In this view he was 
joined by Peter Schuyler 
and Robert Livingston. The 
Assembly was perplexed by 
these opinions, and adjourn- 
ed in April ; and disputes 
continued Avith much asper- 
ity until the middle of May, 
when Nanfan returned and 
lawfully assumed supreme 
authority. He dissolved the 
Assembly in June. A new 
Assembly was chosen, and 
convened on August 19th. 

Meanwhile a 'grant of an 
immense tract of land had 
been made (July lOthi by 
the Five Xations to the 
British crown to insure ]iro- 
tection against the French, 
and the king had given out 
of the exche(|uer sl:*,50i» 
for strengthening the de- 
fences at Ali)any and Selicncctady and to build a fort in the Onondaga 
country ; also siuuo for presents to the Indians. These were M-isu 
measures, and strengthened the bond of friendship between the English 
and the Iroquois. 

The government of the pro\ince was now under the full cuiitrol of the 




J 



I'l.AX OK AI-n.\XY IN 1695. 



LEISLERIANS IN POLITICAL COXTHOL. 



1-29 



Leisleriaiis or Democrats. A new Court of Chancery was organized, the 
power of chancellor, as before, being vested in tlie governor and Council. 
"William Atwood, a zealous Leislerian, was cliief-justice of the Supreme 
Court, with Abraham de Peyster * and Robert Walters as his associates 
on the bench. In the Assembly the 
tires of contention blazed fiercely, 
and Livingston, who had taken sides 
with Smith in the controversy about 
the lawful depositor^' of executive 
jiower, became the object of bitter 
])ersecution by the more radical 
Leislerians. Indeed, the foundations 
of most of the public quarrels of the 
day were laid in personal animosities. 
Such was largely the case during the 
twenty years of warfare l)etween the 
political factions in the jirovince of 
New York from the death of Leisler. 
At the same time the seminal idea 
of repuljlicanisni was working pow- 
erfully in the pul>lic mind, and there 

was a steady and permanent advance in tlie direction of popular liberty. 
Governor Xanfan's adniiiiistration was brief. King William died in 
the spring of 1702 without legitimate issue. His qneen, Mary, had died 
several years before, and her sister Anne now became the sovereign of 
Great Britain. Anne appointed her uncle, Sir Edward Hyde (a son of 
Lord Clarendon, and called Lord Combury b}' courtesy), Governor of 
New York.' He was a libertine and a knave, and cursed the province 
with his presence and misrule about seven years. He was a bigot, and 




AUUAHAM DE PEYSTER. 



* .Vbraliiim ile Peyster was a distinguished citizen of New York, and an eminent 
niercliant. He was the eldest son of Johannes de Peyster. born in New York C'it}' in 
1658, and died there in 1738. He was Mayor of New York between 1691 and 169.5 ; was 
afterward eliief-iustiee of the province and president of tlie King's C'ouneil, in wliicli 
capacity he performed the duties of governor in 17(11. on the deatli of Lord Bellomont. 
He was colonel of the military forces of New York, and tresisurer of that pi-ovinee and 
of New Jersey. He and William Penn were intimate friends. His spacious inaiLsion on 
Pearl Street was the headquarters of Washington in 1776. It e.\isted until 18.56, when 
it was demolished. Colonel de Peyster was considered the most popular man in the city 
of New York in his day. He married his beautiful cousin. Katharine de Peyster. while 
on a visit to Holland. His sister JIaria married David Provost. After his death she 
married James Alexander, secretary of the province, and by him became the mother of 
William .\le\aniler, Lord Sterling. 



IW TllK EMPIKK STATK. 

persecuted ;ill ilciiojuiiiatioiis of Cliristiaiis outside of tin; Clnircli of 
England, lie embezzled the ]>nl)lic money, and on all occasions was the 
persistent enemy of popular freedom antl common justice. 

" I know no riglit -which you have as an Assembly," lie said to the 
representatives of the ])eopie, " but sucli as the queen is pleased to allow 

.yon." 

Tills was said in i7<>5, the year when that Assembly won the first 
substantial victory over absolutism or despotic rule. Tliey obtained 
from the queen permission to make specific appropriations of iiicideiitul 
grants of money, and to appoint their own treasurer to take charge uf 
extriiiirdinary su]iplies. This was a bold and important step in the direc- 
tirni uf popular independence and sovereignty. 

When the news of the ap])ointiiient (jf ('ornbiiry reached Xew York 
the aristocracy took heart, and their leaders became insolent and 
defiant ; for they felt sure of the friendship of the new governor. 
Xor were they disappointed. ^Nicholas Bayard was 
still the most conspicuous of their leaders for zeal ; 
and activity. He ])r()mulgated addresses to the king, 
the Parliament, and to Governor Cornbury, libelling 
the Leislerians and the administrations of I'ellomont 
and Xanfaii in the most scandalous manner. One of M 
these addresses contained thirty-two " Heads of Accu- ^ 
Till' DK I'l vsTiiii nation of the Earl of Bellomont.'' It was specially 
AH.MS. untruthful, and was calculated to stir uj) revolt in the 

colony. This seditions and dangerous paper IJayanl 
dared not issue over his own signature, but signed it with the fictitious 
name of ".lohn Key." ■ 

Xanfan was aroused to immediate and energetic action. In the spring 
of ItlSU ISayard had procured the enactment of a law intended for the 
special punishment of Leisler. That law declared that whoever should 
attempt to " disturb the peace, good, and quiet of the government 
should be deemed a rebel and a traitor, and jiunished accordingly.' ' Into _ 
this trap set for Leisler Bayard now fell. Putting this unrepealed law ■ 
in force, Xanfan caused the arrest of Bayard on a charge of trea.son. ^' 
He was tried before Justice Atwood and his associate justices in Feb- 
ruary (1702), found guilty, and sentenced to be " hanged, drawn, and 1 
(quartered," in accordance witii British law. After a virtual confession • 
of guilt he was reprieved by Xanf;in " until His ^lajesty's pleasure 
should be known." On the arrival of Cornljury (who had been 
■ ■ hunted out of England by a host of hungry creditors"') these proceedings ■ 
were all reversed, and Bayanl was set at liberty. Governor Cornbury 




GOVERNOR CORNBURY'S ADMINISTRATION. 



131 



espoused the anti-Leislerian party, wliicli iiiimediatelj arose into power, 
and then began the flight of some of the Leislerian leaders. This 
change was of short duration. 

New York City was sorely smit- 
ten by yellow fever in the summer 
of 1703. The governor transferred 
his court to Jamaica, Long Island, 
where he exercised his bigotry 
and petty tyranny in the most 
scandalous manner. One illustra- 
tive example will suffice. The 
liest house in the village was the 
dwelling of the Presbyterian min- 
ister, built by his congregation. 
Cornbury begged the minister to 
allow his loi-dship to occupy the 
parsonage for a wliile. It was 
cheerfully done. This hospital- 
ity was requited by the seizure 
of the parsonage, the meeting- 
house, and the glebe for the use 

of the meml)ers of the Church of England residing there.* When 

resistance to this act of robbery was made, 
the victims were subjected to fines and im- 
prisonments ! 

And yet this governor, weak-minded, 
mean-spirited, and vacillating, was so over- 
powered by the indomitable will of the 
people — a hardy, mixed race — that he often 
submitted to reproof, and in the poverty 
of his soul and purse he humbly thanked 
the Assembly for simple justice. For three 
years (1705-08) there was no meeting 
of that body. Intolerance, licentiousness, 
and dishonesty were conspicuous traits in this governor's character.f 




GOVERNOU COItNBUUV. 




SIGNATlliE OF GOVERNOR 
CORKBURY. 



* Lord C'oriib\uy sent an order over liis own signalurc for the minister (Rev. JIi-. 
Hubbard), on July 4tli, 1704, to deliver liis house and lands to the sheriff, and not 
to fail at his " perill." On the same day he signed an order for the sheriff to eject tlie 
minister from the j.iremises, claiming that the property belonged to the Anglican Church 
at .laniaica. 

t " We never lind a governor so universally detested," says Smith, tlw historian. " nor 



i:i-i 



THE EMPIHE STATE. 




lAI.Eli IIKATIICOTE. 



lie contracted debts everywhere, and rcfnseil to ])ay ; ami wlien, 
ill lTi>^, tlic (lueuii, yielding to the desires of the people, recalled 

liini, and he left the ciiair of 
State, liis creditors cast liiiii into 
prison, and kept him there until 
the death of liis father the next 
year made him a i)eer of the realm 
and a mendjcr of tlie Jlonse of 
Lorils. Then the nnriirhteons law 
of the kingdom which exempts a 
member of that body from arrest 
and imprison'nent for debt set him 
free, and he returned to England. 

One of the most distingiiished 
and nsefnl men in the province at 
this time was Caleb Ileathcote, 
proprietor of the manor of Scars- 
dale, in A\'estchester County, a 
representative of the ancient fam- 
ily of Heathcotc of Scarsdale, Derbyshire, England, who came to Am- 
erica in 1692, and became a member of Governor Fletcher's council 
the next year, lie was an earnest ad- 
herent of the Church of England, and 
exercised his authority judiciously as 
colonel of militia in the maintenance of 
moraUty and religion.* 

At about the beginning of Cornbury's 
administration war between France and 

England was kindled. It extended to their American colom'es. This 
contest, known as " Queen Anne's War," lasted about eleven yeai's, and 

any who so richly deserves the public abhorrence. In spite of his noble descent, his 
beha\nor was Iritlini;, mean, and exiravairant. It was not uncommon for him to dress in 
a woman's liabit, and then to patrol the fort in which he lived. Such freaks of low 
humor exposed him to the luiiversal contempt of the whole people. Tlieir indisnalion 
wiis kindled by his despotic rule, .savage bigotrj', insatiable avarice and injustice, not only 
to the public, but even his private creditors." 

* Caleb Ileathcote was a son of the wealthy Mayor of Chester, England. His oldest 
brother. Sir Gilbert Ileathcote, was tlie tirst President of the Bank of England and Lord 
JIayor of London. Caleb was affianced to a beautiful maiden, and took his bachelor 
brother Gilbert to .see her. Smitten by her charms. Gilbert supplanted his brother, when 
Caleb sought relief from the pangs of disappointment, took refuge with his uncle in New 
York, and afterward marrieil a ilaughler of William (" Tangier") Smitli. of Long Island. 
He found Westchester County, he wrote in 1704, " the most heathenish country I ever 




SIOX.iTlUE or c.vi.En iik.mhcmtk. 



THE PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY DEMOCRATIC. 



133 



was ended by the treaty of Utreclit in 1713. Its ravages in tlie colonies 
were chiefly felt by the English in New England and farther east. The 
Five Nations had made a treaty of neutrality with the French in Canada, 
and they stood as a barrier against incursions of the French and Indians 
into New York. That province enjoyed peace during the long war. 

John, Lord Lovelace, succeeded Corn- 
bury as Governor of New York. lie 
did not reach the province until near 
the close of 1708, when he found the 
Assembly and the people strongly demo- 
cratic in their political views. The very 
vices of the late governor had disciplined 
them to the exercise of resistance to op- 
pression and to aspire to self-government, and secured to them the exer- 
cise of rights which might have been postponed for many years. 

The new governor was cordially received by tlie people, and his course 
was judicious. He called a new Assembly in April, 1709, who, taught 




SKiNATURE OF LORD LOVEI.ACK. 




SIGNATURE OF CAPTAIN INCiOLDSBV. 



1)V experience, refused to vote a permanent revenue without appropria- 
tion, but resolved to raise an annual revenue and appropriate it specifi- 
cally. This would make the servants of the crown dependent upon the 



saw which called themselves Christians," there being not the "least footsteps of 
religion." Sabbaths were spent in " vain sports and lewd derision." As colonel of militia 
he ordered liis captains to require the men in every town to appoint readers of the Scrip- 
tures on Sundays, and if they rcfu.scd, to call their men under arms ou Sundays and 
spend the day in military exercises. They chose "readers." Ileathcote wa-s Maj-or of 
the city of New York from 1711 to 1714 ; judge of Westchester County ; made com- 
mander-in-chief of the forces of the colony ; surveyor-general of the province for some 
time, and from 1715 till 1721 was receiver-general of the customs for all North America. 
Colonel Ileathcote's last will was dated February 29th, 1719. He left Ids large estate to 
two daughters, one of whom married .James de Lancey. 



134 



THE EMPIRE STATE 



people for tlicir salaries. The Assembly' slioweJ a firm disposition to 
assert and maintain all the popular rights which they had acquired, and 
now fairly began tlie contest in the ])rovince of New York between 
<leniocracy and absolutism, Avhich ended' in permanent victory for the 
former at the close of the old war for independence three fourths of a cen- 
tury afterward. 

Before the issue concerning the revenue had fairly assunieil posiiive 
form Lord Lovelace died. His lieutenant, liichard Ingoldsby* (the 
contestant Mith Leisler for power in 1001), succeeded him. r)uring 
Ingoldsby's administration of eleven months another feeble attempt M-as 
made to conquer Canada. 

In this enterprise the province of >\ew York engaged with great 
zeal. The Assembly appointed commissioners to ])rocnre the mate- 
rials for war and transportation : 
issued bills of credit (New York's 
first i)aper money), and through 
the powerful influence of Colonel 
Peter Schuyler secured the neu- 
trality and warm friendship of the 
Five Nations. 

New York and New Jersey 
raised an army of about two 
thousand men, and Francis Nichol- 
son, Andros's lientenant-governo*', 
; was made the chief conunander 

of these forces. The little army 
moved from Albany for Montreal 
before the (;lose of June, and early 
in August they had halted at the 
southern end of Lake Chaniplain. 
There they waitetl long for tidings of the departure from Boston of a prom- 
ised English fleet destineil to attack Quebec. No such tidings came, and 
the sadly disappointed soldiers, as in 1091, were compelled to return 
to their homes, tiieir rank> thinned bv sickness and death. This event 




PETEU scnrvi.Kii. 



* Ricliiird Ingol(lsl)y, wlio came to New York in Iti'Jl in commaiul of forces sent with 
Governor Slouglitcr. had served as a field oflicer in IloUaiid. AVe have observed his 
conduct lit New York in ])receding pages. He returned to Enjrhiud on fvirlough in 
1G96, and was absent several years, leaving liis wife and children in New York with 
scanty inciins of support. He wiis coniniissioned Lieutenant-Governor of New York and 
New .Jersey in 1702. but did not return until 1700. On the dealli of Governor Loveliice 
lie administered the goveniMuiil until the arrival of Governor Hunter. 



IROQUOIS SACHEMS IN ENGLAND. 



135 



caused much irritation in the pulilic mind, and weakened the confidence 
of the Five Nations in the puissance of Great Britain. 

Colonel Schuyler,* mortified and alarmed hy the apathy and neglect 
of tlie home government, which seemed unconscious of the importance 
to British interests in America of effecting the conquest of Canada, 
went to England the next year, at his 
own expense, to arouse the court and 
people to vigorous action in support of 
the momentous cause he had espoused. lie 
persuaded a sachem from each Iroquois 
nation to accompany liim, that the Con- 
federac}' might be certified of the immense 
strength of Great Britain. The presence 
of these l)arl)arian kings produced a great 
sensation throughout the realm, especially 
in London. Multitudes followed the dusky 
inonarchs wherever they went. Their por- 
traits soon appeared in the print-shops. 
The queen caused them to Ije covered with 
scarlet mantles edged with gold. They were 
feasted at banquets ; witnessed military 
reviews ; saw a part of the mighty British 

navy ; in a word, they were shown the glories of the kingdom, and were 
deeply impressed by the evidences of British power. They were con- 
veyed to the palace of St. James to stand before the queen ; and they 
gave belts of wampum and signed their toteuis to documents as pledges 
of their friendship and fidelity. 

The grand objects of Schuyler's mission were accomplished. The 
friendship and loyalty of the Five i^ations were secured for the 
English forever, and the Iroquois were made willing to join the 
latter in an attempt to conquer Canada. The new British ministry 
authorized a campaign for the purpose. Henry St. John (Lord Boling- 




TIIE SCHUYLEU AUMS. 



* Peter Scliuyler was one of tlie most useful men in the province for a period of almost 
forty years. He was the tirst JIayor of Albany, and there led the movement against 
Leisler. In Governor Fletcher's Council he performed most important public service. 
He was not only a statesman, but the fon;most military leader in the province, a.s his 
operations asainst the French in Canada show. As Commissioner of Indian Affairs, he 
wielded potential influence over the Iro(iuois Confederacy, and by his courage, skill, and 
goodness won the affections of the white people and the Indians. The latter called him 
"Brother Quedor." When Governor Hunter retired, Schuyler, as President of the 
Council, became acting governor of the province. As such he displayed great wisdom 
and encriry at a trying period 



136 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 




SKiNAiritE or i.oitn uoi.ixiiiiuoKK 



broke),* tlie Secretary of State, planned a naval expedition agair.st 
Quebec to co-operate with a land force of ]>rovincials to proceed from the 
Hudson Iliver and attack ^lontreal. 

A fleet of war-ships — transports and store-ships — bearing marines and 

regular troops was sent to 
Boston early in the summer 
of 1711 under the command 
of Adniiral Sir Hovenden 
"Walker. lie sailed from 
that port with about se%'en 
thousand regulars and pro- 
vincial troops on the loth 
of August. Like Braddock, 
the haughty commander dis- 
dained the opinions and advice of experienced subordinates, and lost eight 
of his transports and nearly one thousand men among the rocks at the 
mouth of the St. Lawrence River. The expedition was abandoned, f 
^reanwhile Kew York, New Jei-sey, and Connecticut had formed a 
provincial army for the capture of ilontreal and the holding of the upper 
waters of the St. Lawrence. These were under tlie command of 
^Nicholson, who held a general's commission. They marched from 
Albany, four thousand strong, toward Lake Cliani])luin. Among them 
were si.x hundred Iroquois warriors. Hearing of Walker's disaster, these 
troops also abandoned the expedition and returned home. So ended in 
failure the third attempt of the English to conquer Canada. 

Robert Hunter, a Scotchman, succeeded Lord Lovelace as Governor 
of New York. lie had risen iu military rank from a private soldier 
to brigadier-general. His literary accomplishments had gained for him 
the friendship of Addison and Swift, and his handsome person and 



* Henry St. John. Lord Bolingbroke, was born in 1678, and became a member of 
Parliament in 1701. In 1704 he wa.s made Secretary of War. and left office with a 
change in the ministry in 1708. In 1710 he became Secretary of State for ForeiL'ii 
Affairs, and wa.s the principal negotiator of the treaty of Utrecht in 1713. lie had ln'cri 
created Viscount Bolingbroke, and became prime-minister a few weeks before the death 
of Queen Anne. Being known as a .Jaeoliilc, he now Hed to France, and entered the 
scrx^Ice of the Pretender, wlio appointed him his prime-minister. In 1730 he married a 
French lady, and was ixrmitted to return to England in 172;5. He died in 17.")1. Boling 
broke was a good writer and brilliaut orator. Pope addressed his " Essjiy on Man" to 
St. .John. 

f "According to Ilarley," says Smith, in his 7/(W<>rv '/ ^'o/- rork. "this exj)edilion 
wa-s a contrivance of Bolingbroke. Moore, and the Lord Chancellor llarcourt to cheat 
the public of twenty thou.sand pounds. The latter of these was pleased to say, ' No gov- 
ernment was worth serving that would not admit of such advantageous jobs.' " 



IMMIGRATION OF P.\XATINES. 



13 r 




SIGXATVRE OF HODERT IirN'TElt. 



insiiiuatini!; manners had won the hand of a peeress — Lady Hay. By lier 
influence he obtained the appointment first to the office of Lieutenant- 
Governor of Virginia, and then Governor of Xew York and New Jersey. 
With Hunter came three thousand German Lutlierans, refugees from 
the Palatinate of the Rhine, wiio liad been driven from their homes by 
the persecutions of the King of 
France, and had taken refuge in 
England. The queen and Par- 
liament sent them to America 
free of expense. They settled 
some on Livingston's Manor, 
some in the valley of the Scho- 
harie, others on the Upper Mo- 
hawk at the " German Flats," 
and some in the city of New 
York, where they built a Luther- 
an church. A large portion of these refugees settled in Pennsylvania, 
and became the ancestors of much of the German population in that 
State. A few went to North Carolina. 

It was during Hunter's administration that the Tuscaroras fled from 
North Carolina (1712) and joined their L-oquois brethren in New York, 
as wo have observed, and so made the Confederacy a league of Six 

Nations. In the same year the inhabitants of 
New York were greatly disturbed by appre- 
hensions of an impending servile insurrection 
there. The population of the city was then 
about six thousand, a large proportion of 
which were negro slaves. 

At that time there was a l)risk slave-trade 
carried on at New York, Newport, and Bos- 
ton, for since the revolution (1688) this trade 
had been thrown open.* The slaves in New 
York were held in the most abject bondage, 
and the masters were forl)idden by law to set 
them free. In ITn'.l a slave-market was established at the foot of Wall 
Street, where they were sold and hired. A slave caught out at night 

* The Stuart kings of England had cliartered slave-dealing companies, and Charles 
II. and his brother, the Duke of York, were shareholders in them. In 1713 an 
English company obtained the pri\'ilegc of supplying the Spanish colonies in America 
with African slaves for thirty years, stipulating to deliver one liiindred and forty four 
lliousand negro slaves witliin that period. One quarter of the stock of the coniii.iiiy was 




SE.\I. OF EGBERT HUNTER 



K38 THK E.MPIHK ST.VTK. 

without a lantern and a lijjlitcd candle in it was put in jail and his in;\.sti,'r 
was tined ; and the authorities pledged themselves that the prisoner 
should receive tliirty-nine lashes at the whipping-post if the iiuister 
desired it. Other puuisliinents for offences were sometimes very cruel. 
Human nature revolted, but chieriy under a mask. From time to time 
the slaves made some resistance. In one case they murdered a white 
family in revenge. 

" Conscience makes cowards of us all." A rumor spread that a ])lot 
of the negroes to murder the white people and burn the city had been 
discovered. A sense of impending j>eril tilled the town with terror. A 
riot that occurred at that moment, during which a Imuse was burnt 
and several white people were killed, intensified the alarm. Tlie 
magistrates acted promptly. The jail and other strong ])laces were 
immediately filled with suspected slaves. Almost without evidence 
nineteen suspects were found guilty of conspiracy, and were summarily 
hanged or burnt alive. A similar scene occurred thirtv vears after- 
ward. 

]lunter*s administration was marked by frequent and violent contests 
between the chief magistrate and the Assembly, the latter boldly assert- 
ing that they possessed an inlierent right to legislate, not from any com- 
mission or grant from the crown, but from tlic free choice and election 
of the people, who ought not, nor justly could be divested of their ]>rop- 
erty, by taxation or otherwise, withotit their consent.'' The governor 
could not assent to this republican doctrine, and the Assembly would not 
recede a line. 

Hunter loved ease and quiet. These di.sputations wearied him. At 
(tne time he wrote : '" I have spent three yeare in such torture and vex- 
ation that nothing in life can make amends for it." In 1719 f:iiling 
health compelled liim to return to England, when he left the govern- 
ment of the province in the hands of Colonel Peter Schuyler, the senior 
member of his Council. 

AVilliam Burnet* succeeded Hunter as Governor of .New York, and 

taken liy King Philip V. of Spain, and Queen Anne of England reserved for liei-scH 
another ipiarter. 

* 'Williani Burnet, a son of the eminent Bishop Burnet, was l)orn at the Hague in 
168S, and had William the Prince of Orange (afterward William III. of England) for lii-- 
godfathcr. He had heen engaged in puhlie otiiee iu London when he was appoinlccl 
Governor of New York and N('W Jersey. He reached Xew York in Septemhei-, IT'.'n. 
His administration was pojnilar. On the accession of George H. he was transferre<l to 
the government of Ma.s,sachnsetts anil New Hampshire, in 1728. He is repre.seiUed u> 
majestic in stature, frank in manner, witty and brilliant in conversaliou. He was also 
a clever writer. Governor Ruriiet died in Boston in Seiilemlxr, 17"2(l. 



A WISE ADMINISTRATOR OF GOVERNMENT. 



130 



/^ 



inliei'ited his political discomforts ; but lie soon fouml a cure for tlieiu in 
his own disposition and the exercise of common sense. His administra- 
tion of about eiyht years (1720-28) was generally serene and more bene- 
ficial to the province than any which had preceded it. Indeed, it was 
more quiet than any which succeeded it in the colonial period. Toward 
the last he incurred the enmity of a powerful body of merchants who 
controlled the Assembly, and his position was made so uncomfortable 
that he was transferred to the gov- 
ernment of Massachusetts at his 
own rerpiest. 

Governor Burnet was a scholar, 
liut not a recluse, and soon became 
very popular. He " was gay and 
condescending," affected no pomj), 
but visited every family of repu- 
tation, and often diverted himself 
in free converse with the ladies, 
by M-hom he was much admired. 
He made few changes among 
])ublic officers. He called Dr. 
Cadwallader Colden and James 
Alexander to the Council Board. 
They were both nien of learning 
and sterling worth. Colden was 
a philosophei', and was specially 
fann'liar with the affairs of the 

color.y and with matters pertaining to the Indians, and the latter was 
an able lawyer and man of business. The governor's most trusted con- 
fidant vras Chief-Justice Lewis Morris. 

The Assembly, in response to the governor's first message to them, 
returned a most cordial address, and voted him a five years' support. 
Everything was done to promote harmony and good feeling. Such con- 
fidence did the governor repose in the integrity, wisdom, and patriotism 
of the Assembly that he did not dissolve them, but continued them on, 
session after session, nntil jealousy was excited by tlie self-interest of 
certain merchants. 

Since the treaty of Utrecht in 1713 a large and increasing trade had 
been carried on between merchants in New York and Albany and the 
French in Canada, in goods salable among the Indians. The Iroquois, 
who were thus compelled to buy most of these goods from the French, 
as " middle men," at a high price, complained to the commissioners of 




WILLIAM BUIINET. 



140 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 




SK.VI. OK CADW.U.LADEK COLDEX. 



Indian Affairs,* because the trade was injnrious to them. AVise men 
in and out of the Assembly perceived the danger that might ensue to the 
friendsiiip between the Five Xatious and the English by this continual i 

trade intercourse with the French, for the 
Jesuit missionaries were now more active > 
than ever in their endeavors to alienate < 
the Iroquois from the English and to win 
tlieni to the French interest. A law was 
finally p;issed prohibiting this inter-colonial '. 
traffic. The governor also perceived tla- 
necessity of acquiring control of Lake On- 
tario for the benefit of trade and the securit v 
of the friendship of the Six ^Sations, ^ • 
as to frustrate the designs of the French. 
Accordingly, in 1T22, with the sanction of 
the Assembly, he caused a trading-house to 
be erected at Oswego, at the mouth of the 
Onondaga River. These measures at once created a strong opposition 
to the provincial government among the merchants engaged in the inter- 
colonial trade, aud excited the indignation and alarm of the Freucha 
in Canada, for they saw that their trade and their dominion were both 
in peril. The latter immediately proceeded to erect a strong store- 
house at the mouth of the Niagara River, and to repair the fort there. *, 
Unable to prevent this work, the governor eaiised a fort to be built at 
Oswego, at his own private expense, for the protection of the trading, 
post and trade there. The French were incensed and made threats, but^ 
prudently curbed their wmth. 

This state of things disturbed the political tranquillity of the province. 
Party spirit grew apace, and there finally arose such a clamor ag-ainst the 
" permanent" and " unconstitutional " Assembly that the governor dis- 
solved them. There was great excitement at the ensuing election, and 
when the new Assemlily met, in the spring of 1727, the majority of the 



* The cominl<sioiH'rs of Indian Affairs rcsidwl at AIIkuiv. They servctl as surli 
witliout sjilaries. but the advantages as traders which their position gave them w;i> 
ample compensjition. For many years William Johnson (made Sir William in 17.>'3) was 
the sole Commissioner of Indian Affairs aud l)ccame veri" wealtliy. especially in land. 
It was the business of the commissioners to maintain the friendship of the Iroquois. They 
received and distributed the moneys and presents provided for that purpose. A secretary 
was paiil for keepinsr a reconl of these transactions. At the breaking out of the 
Revolution, power wielded by Sir William Johusou alone passed again into the hands of 
a committee. 



THE POLITICAL TRAXQUILLITY DISTURBED. 



141 



members were ill-affected toward tlie chief magistrate. His removal 
seemed necessary to insure tlie public trainiuillity, and on April I")!)!, 
172S, Governor Burnet surrendered into the hands of John Montgomery 
(or Montgomeriei, his appointed successor, the great seal of the province.* 
!Montironierv was a Scotchman. He was bred a soldier, and had held 
a place at court and also a seat in Parliament. He was nuicli inferior to 
his predecessor in aijilities, and made no pretensions to scholai-ship. 
Loving his ease, he allowed public affairs to flow on placidly, and during 
the three years of his administration notlung of special public importance 






■-.:C^^. 








FOKT IN OSWEGO, I>- 1750. 
(From a print in Smith's *• History of New York.") 

occurred in the colony excepting the repeal of the law (1729) prohibiting 
the trade with the Canadians. This repeal was effected throagh the 
influence of the interested merchants. This trade worked mischief. 

Governor llontgomery died on July 1st, 1731, when the chief com- 
mand of the province devolved on Rip Tan Dam, the senior member of 
the Council and an eminent and wealthy merchant. Van Dam filled the 
ofSce well until August 1st, 1732, when William Cosby arrived bearing 
a commission as governor of the province of New York. 

Just before the death of Montgomery a settlement of the long-con- 
tinued controversv about the boundarv-line between Xew York and Con- 



* The provincial seal dl New York was changed (as in other provinces) on the acces- 
sion of successive monarchs. There were two great seals of New York made during the 
reign of Queen Anne, on which upjieared an effigy of a qiwai and Indians making pres- 
ents, similar to the device on the seal on page 109. The seals of the three Georges each 
bore the effigy of a Hiig, with Indians making presents, but modified in design. The 
reverse of each seal was similar. 



U2 



Tin; H.Mi'iui-; state. 




lUP VAN DAM. 



necticut wa.s dctiiiitely settled. The partitioii-linc agreed upon in If.fii.. 

1)ein<^ considered fraudnluiit, attempts were afterward made to effect a 

.settlement of the question in a 
manner mutually satisfactory, but; 
this was not accomplished until i 
May, 1731. In 17'2'> a partition- 1 
line was agreed upon liy tln' 
commissioners of both colonio, 
but it was not entirely .satis- 
factory ; now a tract of si.xty 
thousand acres, lyiuij on the 
Connecticut side of the line, and 1 
from its fitjuro called the Ob- 
ion t;, was ceded to ^^ew York, 
and an etjuivalent in terri- 
tory near Long Island Sound 
was surrendered to f'onnectioit. 
Hence the divergence from a 
straight line north and south seen| 
in the southern boundary between 
Kew York and Connecticut. 
The Olilong is nearly two miles wide. Through its centre a line ws 

drawn, and the whole tract M^as divided into lots of five hundred acres'' 
. . . ^ • 

each, on both sides, and sold to emigrants, who came chiefly from }sew 

England. Governor Cosi)y was avaricious, un.scrupulous, and arbitrary. 

He had been a colonel in the British army, and came to New York 

intent upon making a fortune. He could not comprehend the liberal 

spirit that prevailed in the colony, and he played the i)art of a petty 

military tyrant in the most ridiculotis manner. As English officials weie 

wont to do at that time, he looked with contemi)t upon all provincials, 

treated them accordingly, and soon became one of the most obno.\ious 

governors whidi had atilicted the colony. 

Cosby came in conflict with Van Dam at the outset. He brought 

with him a royal order for an equal division between himself and the 

president of the Council of "the salary, emoluments, and perquisites" 

of the offlce of governor during the thirteen months the merchant hail 

exercised its functions. Cosby demanded half the salary which tiie 

merchant had received ; A'an Dam claimed one half the perquisites, etc., 

according to the order. Cosby refused, and brought a suit against Van 

Dam in the Court of Chancery, over which the governor presided <.r- 

officlo. Van Dam tried to bring a counter-suit at common law, but 



STRIFE AMONG CIVIL AUTHORITIES. 



143 



failed. Cosby's judges, James De Lancey and Adolph Philipse, were 
the governor's personal friends and willing instruments. Lewis ]\rorris, 
the able chief-justice of the province for twenty years, denied the 
jurisdiction of the court ; but the trial went on, 
and, of course, was deciderl in favor of the gov- 
ernor. Morris published his Opinion, and was 
punished by the governor by dismissal from the 
high oflicc of chief -justice, and filling it by the 
appointment of De Lancey without even tliQ 
foruiality of consulting his council. 

The sympathies of the people were with Yan 
I)am, and these high-handed proceedings pro- 
voked intense public iudignation. They led to 
the establishment of a democratic newspaper and 
a trial in which popular liberty and the freedom 
of the press were vindicated. This famous trial 
was tlie most conspicuous event of the adminis- 
tration of Governor Cosby. 

William Bradford issued the first newspaper printed in the province 
of jSi^ew York, iu October, 172.5, called the JVew Yorh Gazette. He 
was the Government printer, and his Gazette was controlled 1))' Cosby 
and his political friends. Bradford had, first as an apprentice and after- 
ward as a business partner for a short time, the son of a widow among 
the Palatines who came with Governor Hunter, John Peter Zenger. 




^TANDEM VIMCITUR' 
THE MORRIS ARMS. 




^ 



'^m-Yj 



SIGN.\TURE OF T.EWIS MORRIS. 



The opponents of Cosliy induced Zenger to establish a newspaper that 
might be an organ of the democratic party — a tribune of the peaple. It 
was first issued in November, 1733, and was named the Neio Yoi^'h 
Wi/ekli/ Journal. Yan Dam stood at the back of Zenger financially. 

The Journal made vigorous warfare upon the governor and his oflicial 
friends, as well as upon public measures. It kept up a continuous 
fusillade of scpiibs, lampoons, and satires ; and it finally charged the 
governor and his council with violating the rights of the people, the 
illegal assumption of power, and the perversion of their official stations 



^ 



144 



THE EMPIHE STATE. 




Till-; I'lIII.II'SE AKMS 



for selfish purposes. Tlie Asseiulily, wliicli was a " ]>eriiKiiieiit'" one 
iiiul very obsecjuioiis, received Its sliare of aiiliiiadversloii.* 

These attacks were endured by the ofBcials for about a year, when, in 

the aiituMiii of 17."!4, the ijoveriior and council ordered certain copies of 

Zenjijer's paper to be publicly burnt by the 

coninion lianguian. Then they caused tlie arrest 

of the publisher, and he was cast into jwison on 

a charge of libelling the government. The 

Grand Jury refused to find a bill of indictment 

for this offence, but he was held by another 

\')Vocess—riiJ'o7-matio)i. James Alexander and 

William Smith, the eminent lawyers, became 

his counsel. Unal)le to give bail, he was kept 

in jail until early in the next August, wlion ho 

was brought to trial in the City Hall, Xew York. 

The case excited intense interest throughout the 

wliole country, for it involved the great subject 

of liijerty of speech and of the press. 

" Meanwhile an association called the Suns of Liberty had worked 

diligently for Zenger. The vcneral)le Andrew Hamilton, of Pliila- 

delphia, then eighty yeare of age and the foremost lawyer in the country. 

was engaged as the prisoner's counsel. On the hot morning when tin 

trial began the court-room was densely crowded. Chief-Justice He 

Lanccy presided. A jury was impanelled. The prisoner pleaded ' Not 

guilty,' but boldly admitted the publication of the alleged libel, and 

offered full proof of its justification. The attorney -general (Bradley i 

had just risen to oppose the introduction of such proof, when the vener- 

* Illustrative of tlic obsequious deference which was then paid in tlie colonies even to 
an insignitieant scion of nobility, a contemporary writer relates that when the youim' 
Lord Augustus Fitzroy, son of the Duke of Grafton, a favorite of the king, arrived in 
New York, in the fall of 1732. on .a visit to the governor (and who was induced to many 
his daughter), the corporation of the city waited upon the young man " in a full l««h. 
and the recorder addressed his lordship in a siH-eeh of congialulatiiin, returning him 
thanks for the himor of his presence, and presented him the Freedom of the I'ity in a 
gold box." 

Smith, the historian. s|X'akiiig of the marriage of the young lord to (Visln's daughter, 
siiys : " The match was clandestinely brought about by the intrigues of .Mrs. Cosby. Lord 
Augustus being then on his travels through the provinces ; and to blind his relations and 
secure the governor from the wrath of his father, a mock persecution was instituted 
against ('ami)bell, the parson, who had scaled the wall of the fort and solemniy.ed the 
nuptials without a written license from the governor or any publication of the banns. " 
The iluke refused to acknowledge the wife of his sou,, and the ambition of her parents 
wjLS wofully disappointed. 



I 



THE LIBERTY t>F THE PRESS VIXDICATED. 



145 



able Ilaniilton unexpectedly entered the room, liis long white hair tlowing 
over his shoulders instead of being uuide into a (jueue, in the fashion 
of the (lay. The excited audience, most of them in sympathy with the 
prisoner, arose to their feet, and in spite of the voice and frowns of the 
ciiief-justice, waved their hats and shouted hnul huzzas. AYhen silence 
prevailed the attorney -general took the ground that facts in justifica- 
tion of an alleged libel were not admissible in evidence. The court 
sustained him.* 

"When Hamilton arose a murmur of ap[>lause ran tlirough the crowd. 
In a few eloquent sentences he 
scattered to the winds the soph- 
istries which supported the per- 
nicious doctrine, ' the greater the 
truth the greater the libel.' He 
declared tiiat the jury were 
tliemselves judges of the facts 
and the law, and that they were 
competent to judge of the guilt 
or innocence of the accused. He 
rcmiiuied them that they were 
tlie sworn protectors of the 
rights, liberties, and privileges 
of their fellow-citizens, which, 
in this instance, had been violated 
by. a most outrageous and vindic- 
tive series of persecutions. He 
conjured them to remember that 

it was for them to interpose between the tyrannical and arbitrary violators 
of the law and their intended victim, and to assert, by their verdict, in 
the fullest manner the freedom of speech and of the press, and of the 
supremacy of the people over their wanton and powerful oppressor. 




ANDKKW HAMILTON AT MIDDLE LIFK. 



* -Mr. De Lancey exercised imicli arbitrarj- power, and was always impatient of any 
opposition. One illustrative instance may sutlicc. .James Alexander and William Smith 
were leading lawyers in the province. As counsel for Zenger, they interposed exceptions 
to the indictment of their client on information at the spring term. They also qiies- 
tioued the validity of the commission of the chief-justice. They made a motion that these 
exceptions should be filed. De Lancey refused to receive the exceptions. " You thought 
to have gained a great deal of applause and popularity by opposing this court," he .said ; 
" but you have brought it to this point, that either we must go from the Bencli or you 
must go from the Bar. " He then issued an order excluding them from any further 
jiractice in that coin-t. This dissolving Zeuger's couusel caused his friends to seek the 
services of Andrew Hamilton. 






ur, 



TlIK K.MPIKK STATK. 



" Xotwithstanding tlie cliarge of tlie cliief-justiee was wliully adve.^ 
to tlie doctrines of tlie great advocate, the jury, after brief deliberation. 



erse 




HAMILTON AND THE PEOPLE. 



returned a verdict of ' Xot guilty.' Then a shout of triumph went np 
from the multitude, aii.l Hamilton was borne out of the court-nKim upoTi 



A POPULAR DEMONSTRATION. 147 

the slioiildcrs of the jieoplo to a grand entertainment which had been 
prepared for him. On the following day a public dinner was given him 
by the citizens. At the close of September following, the corporation of 
the city of Xew York presented to Mr. Hamilton the Freedom of the 
City and their thanks in a gold box weighing live and a half ounces, 
made for the occasion. In this document they cordially thanked him 
for his ' learned and generous defence of the rights of mankind and the 
liberties of the press, " and for Ids signal service which 'he cheerfully 
undertook, under great indisposition of body, and generously performed, 
refusing fee or reward.' 

'■ This triumph of the popular cause, this vindication of the freedom 
of the press, this evidence of a determination of the people to protect 
their champions, and this success of an oi'ganization in its infancy, which 
appeared in power thirty years later under the same name — ' Sons of 
Liberty ' — was a sure prophecy of that political independence of the 
colonies which was speedily fulfilled. Yet the stupid governor, stag- 
gered by the l)low, could not tmderstand the meaning of the prophecy, 
and only his death, a few months after this trial, put an end to his vin- 
dictive proceedings." * 

Governor Cosby died on March 10th, 1730. 

* Lossing's Our Country, I., 368-70. Gouverneur Morris, it is reported, said : 
" Instead of dating American liberty from the Stamp Act, I trace it to the persecution of 
Peter Zcusjer, because that event revealed the philosophy of freedom both of thouirht 
and speech as an inborn human right, so nobly set forth in Milton's Treatise on Un- 
licensed Printiiifj." 



148 Tin; EMPIRE STATE. 



CirAPTErv XT. 

FuDM tlic arrival' of Governor Cosl)_\-, in 1732, to tlio l)eginning of tlie 
Seven Years' "War between France and England (1755-02). which is 
known in America as the " French and Indian War," the history of the 
province of New York is little more than a record of the operations of a 
violent party spirit engendered by selfish men struggling for power. 
Let us turn for a moment from this unpleasant sul)ject to take a brief 
glance, through the optics of contemporary wi'iters, at the character of 
society in the city atid j>ri)vince of Xew \ ork at tliat period. 

The populatioTi of tlie province at the time we are considering did not 
exceed one luindred tliou.^aud. There were many discouragements to 
settlements. The dread of hostile incursions by the French and liulians 
on the north ; tlie transportation hither from Great I'ritain of siiip-loads 
of felons ; the op])ressive nature of navigation laws ; the avarice, bigotry, 
and tyrauny of some of the governors who had been sent to rule the 
jirovince, and tiie lavisli grants of mucli of the best land in the colony to 
their favorites and instruments, were special hindrances to a rapid increase 
of population. The holders of large estates rated their lands so high 
that poorer persons could neither buy nor lease farms. The price of 
labor was so enormously high, because of the spai"se population, that the 
importation of negroes had become a prime industrial necessity, and they 
were then very numerous in the province. The Dutch language was yet 
so generally used in some of the counties that sheriffs found it difficult 
to procure persons sutliciently acquainted M'itli the English tongue to 
serve as jurors in tiio courts. Tlie manners of the people were simple 
and various according to locality and condition. Tiie ])revalonce of the 
Dutch, the German, the Engli.sli, and the French (Huguenots) in certain 
places modified manners. 

In the city of New York, where there Avas constant intercoui-so with 
Europe, particularly with Great Britain, the London fashions, much 
modified however, were followed ; yet these were sometimes disused in 
England by the time they were .adopted here. Among the wealthier 
classes considerable lu.\ury in table, dress, and furniture was exhibited, 
yet the people were not so gay as in Boston, where society was almost 
purely English, and jiresented greater cultivation. In New York wealth 



STATE OF SOCIETY AT NEW YORK. 



14a 



■was more eipially distriluited. Tlierc was an aspect of comfort tlirougli- 
out society. 

New York City was more social in its character than any other place 
on the continent. It now had a mixed population, sturd}- in individual 
character and cosmopolitan in feeling. Society presented an almost 
even surface of equality and independence. It consisted chiefly of mei-- 
ciiants, shop-keepers, and tradesmen. Their recreations were simple. 




^ ^-^.^>^-,^|^^ 



KEW YOKK COSTUXrES AND FUKKITURE IN 1740. 



Tlie men enjoyed themselves at a weekly evening club, and the women 
frequented musical concerts and dancing assemblies with their liusbands 
and brothers. The women were generally comely in person, dressed 
witli taste, were notable housekeepers, managed their households with 
neatness and thrift, and made happy homes. They seldom or never 
engaged in gaming, as was the habit of fashionable Avomeu in England 
at that time. 

Both sexes M'ere very neglectful of intellectual cultivation. They read 



150 



Tin; F.MI'IKK STATE. 



very Httlo. Tlio scliools were of a low onler. " The iiistructore want 
instruction," wrote a contemporary. " Through long and shameful 
neglect of all the arts and sciences, our common speech is extremely 
corrupt, and the evidences of a had taste, both as to thought aTid lan- 
guage, are visible in all our jiroceedings, private and pul)lie." Virtue 
was predominant. The wonien M'cre modest, spriglitly, and good- 
humored ; and there was dill'used throughout society an uncommon 




^>^^^5.. 



Mll.KI.NC -TIMK AT AI.IiAXV. 



degree of domestic felicity, l)oth in the city fmd province. The mer- 
cliants and traders had a high re])utation for honesty and fair-dealing, 
and the people everywhere, in town and country, were sober, industrious, 
and liospitalde, yet eagerly intent ujk)!! gain. 

Tiie peoi)le were generally religious. Tiie principal church organiza- 
tions were the Dutch Reformed, the Lutheran, the English Episcopsil, 
and the Presbyterian. There Avas mni-h latitudinarianism, mucli freedom 



STATE OF SOCIETY AT ALBANY. 151 

of thought and action among the people, that fostered a spirit of inde- 
pendence. They were not bound hand and foot by rigid religioiis and 
political creeds, as were the people of New England, but were thor- 
oughly imbued with the toleration inherited from the first Dutch settlers, 
and theological disputes were seldom indulged in. 

New York society possessed the elements of a noble State. These 
elements entered into the political and social structure of the common- 
wealth after the Declaration of Independence with the grand result now 
manifested to the world.* 

On the death of Governor Cosby, Hip Van Dam, the senior councillor, 
again prepared to assume the functions of governor. When he called 
for the seals of office, etc., he was informed that Cosby had suspoiule<l 
him from the Council Board several months before. This had been 



* Mrs. Grant, of Laggan, in liei- Memoirs of an American Lady, lias left us some 
cliarming pictures of social life at Albany, where the jiopulation was chiefly of Dutch 
licseeut, and the habits of the peojjle were more simple than at New York. She tarried 
anionic; them awhile at the time we are considering. She says the houses were very neat 
within and without, and were built chiefly of .stone or brick. The streets were broad and 
liueil with shade trees. Each house had its garden, and before each door a tree was 
jilanted and shaded the " stoops" or porches, which were furnished with spacious seats 
on which domestic groups were seated on summer evenings. Each family had a cow, 
fed in a common pasture at the end of the town. At evening the herd returned alto- 
gether of their own accord, with their tinkling bells hung at their necks, along the 
wide and grassy street, to their wonted sheltering trees, to be milked at their masters' 
doors. 

On pleasant evenings the " stoops" were filled with gi'oups of old and young of both 
sexes discussing grave questions or gayly chatting and singing together. The mischiev- 
ous gossip was ruiknown, for intercourse was so free and friendship so real that there 
was no place for such a creature ; and politicians seldom disturbed these social gather- 
ings. A peculiar social custom arranged the yoiing people in congenial companies, eom- 
|)Osed of an equal number of lioth se.xes. quite small children being admitted, and the 
association continued until maturity. The result was a perfect knowledge of each other, 
and happy and suitable marriages prevailed. 

The summer amusements of the young were simple, the principal one being what we 
QoW picnics, often held upon the pretty islands near Albany, or in " the bush." These 
were days of pure enjoyment, for everybody was unrestrained by conventionalities. In 
winter the frozen bosom of the Hudson would be alive with merry skaters of both se.xes. 
Small evening parties were frequent, and were generally the sequel of quilting parties. 
The .young men sometimes enjoyed convivial parties at taverns, !)ut habitual drunkenness 
was extremely rare. 

African slavery was seen at .\lbany and vicinit}* in its mildest form. It was softened 
by gentleness and mutual attachments. It appeared patriarchal, and a real blessing to 
the negroes. Master and slave stood in the relation of friends. Immoralities were rare. 
There was no hatred engendered by neglect, cruelty, or injustice ; and such excitements 
as the " Negro Plots" of 1712 and 1741 in New York City were impossible. Industry 
and fr\igality ranked among the cardinal virtues of the people. 



152 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



done secretly, that Geoi^ Clarke, an English adventurer and one of 
Cosby's tools, might become president of the Council. Clarke, as such, 
now assumed the office of lieutenant-governor. Van Dain would not 
yield, and the " rival governors" proceeded to act indepeudentlv of each 
other. This state of things involved the Assembly and the corporation 
of Xew York City in fierce contentions, and the pnblic excitement 
became so intense that ofjen insurrection was threatened. It was finallv 
allayed by the confirmation of Clarke's claim by the home government. 
His administration was marked by continual contests with the Assemblv. 
It tenninated in September, 1743, by the arrival of Sir George Clinton 
as governor of the province,* a younger son of the Earl of Lincoln and 

the father of Sir Henry Clin- 
ton, the commander-in-chief 
of tlie British forces in Amer- 
ica during a portion of the old 
war for independence. 

The most conspicuous event 
of Clarke's administration was 
that known as the '• Negpj 
Plot," in 1741. Causes simi- 
lar to those which made the 
inhabitants of the city dread 
a servile insurrection in 1713 
(see page 138) excited them 
at this time. As before, the 
tongue of rumor sonnded an 
alarm wluch produced a panic. 
A iKtld robbery, almost si- 
multaneous tires in different 
parts of the city (though in 
the day-time), idle words spoken by negroes, and the grumbling of some 
black people who had been brought into the port in a Spanish prize-ship 
and sold into slavery, combined in suggesting to the e.xcited minds of the 




TO TET MEMQRVra" 
\3XC£ CUmiZorldEESqVlSE 
■WHD'WAS FORMEBrV 

jznzx'Hi covE?NCRorsrwi-nRK. 

JSS) .«TEK\WRDS 

sEcsssE jtEssjcms ims cur i 

I ■BE HIED 3SSK2iaSM,MDa:iS. 
AtSD IXSXIV1ZAES 





CLARKE'S MOSIMEXT .\T CHIWUrRE. 



• Sir George Clarke was a prominent man in Xew York for nearly half a century. H.- 
was a native of England, was a lawyer, married 3Iiss Hyde, a relative of Governor 
Combury, and was appointed secretary of the province of Xew York in 1703. He was 
a shrewd, thrifty man, and left Americ-a with a large fortune, like that of Cosby mysteri- 
ously gathered. He sailed for England in 1745. On his passage he was capfiired by a 
French cruiser, but was soon rek-a.sed, when the British Government indemnilietl him 
for his los.sfcs. Retiring to a hand-^jme estate near Cheshire, he died there at an advanced 
age in 1760. His wife, a woman of fine accomplishments, died in Xew York. 



^i 



THE NEGRO PLOT. 153 

people suspieioiis of a coiispiraey, and creating a fearful panic. The 
people were deaf to reason. The magistrates and lawyers •' lost their 
heads." and l>y their acts increased the public alarm. 

False accusers charged negroes with incendiarism, robbery, and con- 
spiracy to burn the city and murder the Nvhite 2>eople. Very soon the 
jail and apartments in the City Hall were crowded with the accused. 
The keeper of a low tavern and l)rotheI (John Ilughson), his wife, and a 
strumpet who lived with them Avere accused by an indented servant girl 
of sixteen (Mary Burton) of comjjHcity, with negroes named, in the 
robbery and in a conspiracy to burn the town and destroy the inhabitants. 
She bad been tempted by fear and seltishness, by threats, and by ]>roni- 
ises of money and freedom from her master (Ilughson) to " tell all she 
knew" — in other words, to make false accusations and to bear false testi- 
mony. She declared that her inaster and mistress received and concealed 
tlie stolen property from negroes whom she named, conferred with some 
of the slaves about burning the city and killing the inhabitants, and that 
her master threatened to poison her if she exposed him ; while the 
negroes swore they would burn her alive if she revealed their secret. 
She said her master and mistress and the bawd whom they harbored were 
tlie only white persons present at the plotting with the negroes. The 
excited and credulous magistrates received this absurd story and others 
uttered by the lying servant girl as truth. 

"Without the semblance of justice or of common sense, and moved by 
the unsupported assertions of ^lary Burton, the magistrates committed 
persons to the jail. The excited lawyers perplexed and terrified the poor 
prisoners, and the lialf-dazed jurors found the tavern-keeper, his wife, 
and their wretched boarder guilty. They M'ere hanged. Eighteen 
negroes were also hung in a green vale, the site of the modern Five 
Points ; eleven were l)urned alive, and fifty were sold into slavery in the 
A\ est Indies. Three of the colored people were burnt on the site of the 
(present) City Hall, one of whom was a woman. All who suffered at 
that time were undoubtedly innocent victims of groundless fright created 
1>y imaginary danger. This " reign of terror" continued about six 
months, when a day was set apart for puljlic thanksgiving for the " great 
deliverance." 

The " ^'egro Plot'" may be classed among the conspicuous delusions 
of modern times. It is a counterpart in wickedness and absurdity to the 
" Salem TVitchcraft"' delusion in the preceding century. 

There was another and a peculiar sufferer at this time— a victim of 
false accusations, perjury, and bigotry. His name was John Ury, his 
l>rofession a schoolmaster and a noniurinof minister of the Chnrch of 



154 



Till; KMl'lUK STATK. 



Eiigluiid. lie was clKiri^ctl with being a Jesuit priest in disguise, and 
was accused of inciting tlie negroes to burn the governor's liouse, wliich 
■was the first of the ahiiost simultaneous fires already alluded to. The 
only witnesses against liiiii were the perjured Mary Burton ami u 
daughter of the tavern-keeper just hanged. The latter was brought from 
a felon's cell and pardoned on the condition that she should gis'e certain 
testimony against the accused. She swore that Ury had counselled 
negroes to burn the governor's house (which the governor himself 
declared had been accidentally set on fire through the carelessness of 
a phuuber while soldering a tin gutter) ; that he had practised the rites of 
the Roman Catholic Church among the negroes in her presence at her 
father's house, and that he received confessions, etc. 

Competent testimony of respectable citizens to the contrary' — that he 
was a schoolmaster and a clergyman of the Church of England — was 

clearly given, but 
was not heeded. The 
charge of the chief- 
justice (De Lancey) 
and the speech of 
the attorney -general 
(Bradley) were large- 
ly mere tirades 
against popery and 
warnings against its secret emissaries. The mis- 
led jury were easily pc>rsnaded to ])rononnce 
poor Ury guilty, aiui the bigoted court, taking 
advantage of an unrepealed statute against 
priests, sentenced him to be hanged. Ury 
protested his innocence to the last moment. 
The chief instrument in bringing this evi- 
dently innocent man to the scaffold was the 
disgraceful statute which condemned to death 
every Ilonum Catholic priest who should 
voluntarily come into the province. (See 
p. 12G.) 
In the whole of the wretched business of the " Xegro Plot" not a 
single charge of conspiracy was proven by a competent witness. 

Sir George Clinton* published his commission as Governor of New 





SIGNATURE .\XD ARMS OK 
CEOHGE CLINTON. 



* Sir George Clinton was ilic youngest son of the .sixth Earl of Lincoln, and rose to 
distinction in llic Brilish navv. IIi- \va.s commissioned a cominodnrc. and made Governor 



WAK BETWEEN FRANCE AND GREAT BRITAIN. 155 

York oil tlie day of his arrival, Septeiiilicr 20tli, 1743. lie held the 
office ten jears. Clinton was wholly unfitted by his training and dispo- 
sition for tlie chief magistracy of a people like those of ]S'ew York — 
sturdy, independent, and courageous ; free-thinkers in politics and irre- 
pressible aspirants for self-government. 

After a peace between France and Great Britain for more than thirty 
years, during which time the American colonists enjoyed comparative 
repose, war was again kindled. It was declared in March, 1744. The 
colonists promptly rose in their might and donned their armor. The 
struggle that ensued continued about four years, and is known in Ameri- 
can history as King (rconjc's War, because George II. of England 
espoused the cause of the Empress of Austria, the celebrated Maria 
Theresa. In Europe it was known as the War of the Austrian Succes- 
sion. 

This war was not distinguished by many stirring events in America. 
The most imjjortaut was the capture of Lonisburg and its strong for- 
tress, on the island of Cape Breton, which the French had constructed 
after the treaty of Utrecht at a cost of §5,500,000. William Shirley,* 
a good soldier and energetic statesman, was then Governor of Massa- 
chusetts. He perceived the importance of Lonisburg in the coming 
contest, and plans for its capture were soon perfected by the Legislature 
of Massachusetts. He asked England for aid in the enterprise, and Ad- 
miral Warren was ordered to Boston from the West Indies M'ith a fleet 
and troops. Kliode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut furnished 
their proper quota of men. New Y^ork sent artillery, and Pennsylvania 
sent provisions. Thus common danger was teaching the necessity for a 



of Newfoundland in 1T3'3. In 1743 he was appointed Governor of New York, and hud 
a tumultuous administration for ten years. He was unlettered, and of irritable teni- 
jierameiit. lu all his contr<jversies with the New York Assembly he was ably assisted 
by the mind and pen of Dr. Cadwallader Golden. His chief opponent was Daniel Ilors- 
mauden. at one time chief-justiee of the colony. He quarrelled with all the political 
factions in the colony, and returned home in 1753, when he was given the sinecure of 
Governor of Greenwich Hospital. In 1745 he was appointed vice-admiral of the Red, 
and in 1737 admiral of the Fleet. Again Governor of Newfoundland, he died there in 
1761. 

* William Shirley was born in Sussex, England, in 1693, and died at Roxbury, !Mass., 
in 1771. He came to Boston in 1734, and practised the profession of a lawyer there. 
Active in jwblic alTairs, he was appointed Governor of 3Iassachusetts in 1741, and 
became a skilful military leader in the French and Indian AVar. He was also a skilful 
diplomatist. For a while he wa.s commander-in-chief of the British forces in America. 
In 1759 he was commissioned lieutenant-general and governor of one of the Bahama 
Islands, but returued to Boston in 1770. He built a tine mansion at Roxbury, but never 
occupied it. 



150 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

political union of the English American colonies fully thirty years 1»efi>re 
Buch union was effected. 

The colonial force.*, commanded by General William Pepperell,* 
thirty-two hundred strong, sailed from Boston in the spring of 1745, and 
were joined by W^arren at Causeau with ships and troops. The com- 
liined forces, four thousand in number, landed not far from Louisburg at 
the close of April, took the French by surprise, and speedily Ijegan a 
vigorous siege of the strong fortress. Finally a combined attack by sea 
and land, at the close of Jnne, compelled the French to surrender the 
fortress, the city of Louisburg, and the island of Cape Breton to the 
Enghsh. Tiie mortified French ministry sent the Duke d'Anville the 
next year with a powerful naval armament to recover what had been 
lost, and to desolate the English settlements along the Xew England 
coasts. Storms wrecked many of his vessels, and disease soon wasted 
hundreds of liis men. The duke was compelled to abandon the enter- 
prise without striking a blow. The ^ew England people regarded these 
misfortunes of the enemy as a providential interference in their favor. 

Meanwhile Xew York had been vigilant and active. Its immense 
frontier on the north exposed it to easy inroads of the common enemy. 
The Iroquois formed a trustworthy but not an omnipotent defence. The 
garrisons at Albany, Schenectady, and Oswego were strengthened, and 
the erection of block-houses was begun on the upi^er Ilndson. 

Notwithstanding these precautions five luindred French Canadians and 
Huron Indians and a few disaffected Iroquois warriors swept down the 
upper valley of the Iludson late in the fall of 1745, as far as Saratoga, leav- 
ing there a horrible record, and spreading the wildest alarm among the 
frontier settlements far and near. The invaders were commanded by 
M. Marin, an active French officer. They had rendezvoused at Crown 
Point, on Lake Champlain, where, at the suggestion of Father Piquet, 
the French Prefect Apostolique to Canada, it was resolved to sweep 
down toward Albany and cut off the advancing English settlements. 

Saratoga was a scattered village on the flats at the junction of the Fish 
Creek and the Iludson liiver, near (presenjj Schuylerville. It com- 

• William Pepperell was bom in Maine in 1696, and died there in 1759. His father 
was a Welsliman, and was made an apprentice to a fisherman when he came to Xew 
England. His son became a merchant. Likins militar>- life, he was frequentlr en^aftd 
in fighting Indians. In 1727 he was appointed one of the king's Council, in Massachu- 
setts, and held the office thirty-two consecutive years. He became an eminent jurist, and 
was made chief-justiit? of llie Common Pleas in 1730. After his successful e.xpeditioc 
against Louisburg he was knighted il74.5), and was apix)inte«l colonel in the royal 
army; then a major-general, and lieutenant-gvucral in lT-">9. For two vears (lT56-ol^ 
lie was Acting-Governor of Massadiusetts. 



A CONTEREXCE WITH THE SEX XATIOX5. 15? 

pH^I ^-v:: ::.:::.-:-;-::>. :..-:-7 f t^- -- -,:-■- - ? ■:'; -^/rler, 

w>xLrr •:■: :_eM-./ r _: A. .: .;. ^i.I ^i - : - . - - ;-- :iitT-. 

The invadeis mnrdeied Mr. Schnrler. je. 

aad earned awav over one hnr 

■es!V/ef. as capdres. Mr. ? - 

baineii. Oa the foDowmg monung the inTadeis. after . T-. 

Drum, departed for Canada with their ]^imder >. 

The en«sede Go^Temca- Shirfer. dotted wiu- : .... .7 m the east. 

eontemplaie>i the eoaqnesc of the entire Fraieh domiiiions ia Am^ea. 
His soia^ plan of opoaiiMis was dmHar to that of fc^in^ expeditic«5 
ior the capture of Qo^tec and MontieaL 

GoTenic«" Clinron favOTied the projeei. and the AssranMr xoted aid. 
Tlie eKcdoa of bloek-hooses on the norch^n froatiefs was aatlMmzed. 
sIeo a new emisaoii of bilk of eredir. Boandes were laised fat rol- 
vUeefs. az>d pcoTiaoB was n»de for soppii^ of all kinds. The Six 
Xadons were invited to meet the gov«nw at a eonfesenee at Albanv, 
« wfaieh appeared represencatives of other eoloni^^ The objees of the 
flonfereaee was to oisage the Iroqa<MS to S«ht for the English in idie 
eoniSici supposed to be impending. Tlus eonf eraoce w^s held in the 
sammerof 174o. 

William Johnson, a n^thew of Adaoiral Warrai, asd th^i in the 
pnme of yoong manhood, had be»i appointed Indian eommisaoDa' in 
place of C:-I>ne" S-i-LBvIer. wbo had long pezformsd the c ' - 

ofiee niL»5» efiier-ilv. J<^uisoai lad made great efforts :. -^ 

Mohawks, among whom be lived, to mate war <« the Freaeh. Ax the 
time appoioted fcM* the eooferenee he appeared on the . 

Albonvat the Lead of a large nnmberof the Iroquois eL.i:. _-..:_- -_^ 
pnoted like the hafbariare=^ Amoi^ these wine lead»s from ihe Dela- 
wares. the Si^qtudiamias, the Eiver Indians, and the Mohegaas of Coo- 
needeot. aH eager to laiee die hatehet against the Fr^ieh. The eonf er- 
eaee was satEfaetorv. The Indiai^ w^e d^niseed witb presents, and 
Johnson was famished with anns and with instraetioas to s@id out 
war parties etmh the Mohawk ValleT to annor th^ e-enie^ ' "' 
border. 

The Biiti^ ministiT- failed to said pronueed aaascanee to ~ :s. 

^id ^orieT's grand jwoject was aband<»ed. From this tinir : 
hostillues of impcKtan^K occurred within die province •;•! Xev . 
OB iis fPMiiiers in several veais : bat the annatg of 2s ew Hampshire, on 
Ss eastern b<»da-, for two vears tbae a fter present a l«ig ar. " .fal 

eacalogne of plantadoDS laid waste and ocJwiisB^ain or earrlv :tip- 

tiviiT bv the Frendi and Tn<B»»ig The treatr of peace eooehided at 



158 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



ia^n-ue^ ^ cv^w^t^ 






SIGNATURE OF JAMES DE LANCEY. 



Aix-la-Chapelle, in October, 174S, ended hostilities between France 
and England and tlie American colonies for a time. 

Dnrinij: tlie whole administration of Governor Clinton rancorous partji 
spirit cnrsed tlic province. lie had passed a greater portion of his life 
in the royal navy, and had learned and practised its imperious ways. 
These ways were, of coui"se, often oflFensive. lie loved his ease and 

good cheer, was kind-hearted 
and good-humored, and tried 
to control the storms of pas- 
sion around him. Unfor- 
tunately, the surviving poli- 
ticians who had tjiiarrellcd 
throughout the administra- 
tions of Cosby and Clarke were as rancorous and active as ever. He 
tried to propitiate both parties, and failed, of course. The Assembly 
persistently refused to yield an iota of tiieir rights and privileges, and 
their independence vexed and worried Clinton. 

T'nfortunately for the governor and the province, Clinton made Chief- 
Justice De Lancey his confidant and guide. De Lancey was a politician 
of exquisite mould, and tlien wielded almost 
absolute sway over the Assembly and the 
jieople. At length the governor and the 
chief-justice cpiarreJled over their cups at a 
banquet. The latter swore he v.ould be re- 
venged ; and from that time Clinton found 
no peace in public life. De Lancey was im- 
placable. He pursued the governor as a 
personal and political enemy with the tenacity 
of a hound, and stirred up o})position to 
Clinton's authority and his measures every- 
where. Wielding power, the governor dealt 
some hard blows in return.* 

An open rupture between the governor and the Assembly occurred in 
17-tO. Tnder instructions from the king, Clinton demanded from the 




SEAL OF .lAMES III' 



* James De Lancey was born in New York City in 1703, and die<l there. 1760. He 
was educated in Eiisrland, studied law there, and soon after his return (1729) was made a 
■justice of the Supreme Court of the province. He became cliief-justice in 1733. He was 
heutenant-ffovernor and actinirirovernor of tlie pro\ince for several years, and was oni' 
of the most influential men in the province in politics and lesrislation, 5Ir. De Lancey 
was one of the foimdcrs of King's (now Columbia) College. His wife was Anne, cUlest 
daughter of Colonel Caleb Heathcote. 



SELF-DESTRUCTION OF A GOVERNOR. 159 

Asseiiiblv tlie grant of a permanent revenue for live years, tliat lie miiilit 
be independent of the people. As in times past, the Assembly refused 
to grant it. The governor unwisely told them that their authority to 
act at all, and the political rights and privileges which they enjoyed 
depended upon the breath of the monarch whom he represented, and he 
threatened to ])unish them if they did not comply with his wishes. The 
Assembly boldly said in substance : 

" Your conduct is arbitrary, illegal, and in violation of onr privileges, 
and we will not comply with your demands." 

In this quarrel, which continued until the end of Clinton's administra- 
tion, the unfortunate governor was placed in a delicate and even a false 
position. He was bound to obey his instructions in making the demand, 
at the same time he felt that the attitude of the Assembly was essentially 
right, and he urged upon the home government the propriety of making 
concessions to the popular leaders. Strangely enough, at about this 
period the chief leaders of the aristocratic faction, led by the chief-justice, 
became the popular leaders opposed to the governor and tlie crown. 

Wearied, worried, and disgusted, Governor Clinton resigned his office 
ill the summer of 1751', and on September 7th he gave into the hands of 
his successor. Sir Danvers Osborne, the great seal of the province. 
Chief-Justice De Lancey had l)een ajipointed lieutenant-governor. 

Osborne's administration was exceedingly short. He was received 
with demonstrations of joy by the people, and was magniiicently enter- 
tained by the corporation of the city of Xew York. But he bore royal 
instructions more arbitrary and tyrannical than those which, attempted 
to be enforced, had made his predecessor odious to the people. lie 
learned by conversation with those who feasted him that the course he 
was instructed to pursue would be highly displeasing to the people and 
render him odious in their estimation. 

Having been greatly depressed in spirits by the recent death of his 
wife. Sir Danvers was made more melancholy by the gloomy prospects 
before him — continual disputes with the representatives of the people, 
the s))ort of factions, and a tarnished reputation, lie said to De Lancey 
in a plaintive voice : 

'■ AVhat am I here for ? I shall soon leave you the government. I 
am unable to bear the burden."" 

Brooding over his situation, his disturbed reason became unseated, and 
five days after his arrival his lifeless body was found, early on the morn- 
ing of the 12lh, suspended by a pocket-handkerchief around his neck to 
the fence of the garden of Mr. Murray, one of the Council, whose 
hospitality he was enjoying. 



ICd 



TIIK KMPIHE STATE. 



l)e Laiicey Mgaiii 1»er*aine acting Governor of Xew \ ork. He was 
now j)liiced in a delicate situation, but lie was e(]Hal to the occasion. Jlc 
had recently been a leader of the opposition in the Assembly in his perse- 
cution of Clinton ; now he was compelled to wear the mask of Janus and 
rebuke the Assembly ptiblicli/ for not obeying tlie royal instructions in 
granting supplies, while he secretly confederated in the promotion of 
mciisurcs directly opposed to the expressed will of the crown. The 
Assembly were equal (iisseml)lers. They lauded De Lancey, boasted of 
their lovalty, and declared that nothing should be wanting to promote 
the king's service. At the same time they firmly resisted taxation with- 
out their consent. Witli well-dissembled zeal De Lancey joined the 
Dtlior royal governors in urging the British Government to put in action 
a scheme of general taxation in America. 

De Lancey remained the political head of the province two years, 
wlien Sir Charles Hardy, a captain in the British navy, ignorant of the 
country, the peoi)le, and the government lie was to administer, arrived 
at New York (September, 1755) bearing the commission of governor.* 
L)e Lancey really continued to govern the province for about five years. 
Sir Charles was a plastic instrument in De Lancey's hands. 

The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was, practically, only a contract for a 
truce. The traditional enmity between France and England only 
slumbered. The Jesuits, bearing the Cross and the Lily, had discovered 
the magnificent country around the great lakes and in the Mississippi 
Yalley, and revealed its riches to the French court. I'rench missionary 
stations and trading- posts were estal)lislied deep in the wilderness, but these 
did not attract the serious attention of the English until after the capture of 
Louisburg, when the French began the building of strong vessels at Fort 
Frontenac at the foot of Lake Ontario, and the erection of more than 
sixty forts between Montreal and the site of New Orleans. In 1753 the 
(Toverimr of Canada sent twelve hundred French soldiers to occupy the 
Ohio ^'alk'y to the exclusion of the English. 

At the time we arc considering the French in America were not over 
one hundred thousand in number, and were scattered in trading settle- 
ments for almost one thousand miles along the St. Lawrence River and 
our immense inland seas ; also at points on the Mississippi River and its 



* Sir Charles was a grandson of Sir Thomas Hardy, a distinguisht-d naval commander 
in the ri-ign of Queen Anne. He was himself a naval commander. After leaving Xew 
York, he was appointed (1757) rear-admiral of the Blue, and commanded in the expedi- 
tion against Loiiislnirg. He was promoted to vice-admiral, and in 1704 was a meml)er 
of Parliament. He Iwcame admiral in 1770, and commanded a large scjuadron. Sir 
Charles dieil in England in 1780, aged about sixty-seven vears. 



AGGRESSm: MOVE3LEXTS OF THE FRENCH. 161 

tributaries. The English nnmbered more than a million, and occapied 
a line of territorr more than a thousand miles in extent alon? the 
Atlantic seaboard, in the form of agricultural communities. The French, 
through the influence of the Jesuit priests and kind treatment, had won 
the friendship of the barbarians around them. 

The French, on the English plea of discoverr and priority of occupation, 
claimed jarisdiction over the region of the Ohio River and its tributaries. 
The King of England, on the same plea, claimed that region, and granted 
to a compauT of London merchants and Virginia speculators a tract of 
six hundred thousand acres of land there. This company began the 
establishment of trading-posts on tliis domain. The French regarded 
them as intruders. The Indians properly said : 

'■ The English claim all the land on one side of the river, and the 
French claim all the land on the other side of the river. TThere is the 
Indian's land ?" Echo answered, " Where T" etc. The rightful claim 
of the first occupants of the soil was not considered by the voracious 
European robbers. 

Apprehending the loss of their trade and their dominion, the French 
built a fort on the southern shore of Lake Erie : also others near the 
domain of the English company. The Governor of Virginia sent a 
remonstrance to the French commander in that region (St. Pierre). The 
bearer of the despatch was young George Washington, then less than 
twenty-two years of age. He made the perilous journey with two or 
three attendants. The Indians were hostile to the English, and the 
French were their traditional enemies : but the dangerous journey was 
performed in safety, and the mission was executed %vith skill and judg- 
ment. Washington retume<l in January, 1754, with an unsatisfactory 
response to the message he had delivered, but with much valuable infor- 
mation. When wine was in and wit was out of the heads of the French 
officers at their commander's table, they had revealed many important 
secrets to their sober voungr visitor. 

Satisfied that the French in Canada were contemplating aggressive 
war upon the English colonies, the latter prepared to meet the blow. 
In the summer of 1751 twenty- five delegates, representing seven English- 
American colonies — Xew Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Con- 
necticut, Xew York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland — met in convention 
at Albany to renew treaties with the Six Nations and to consider the 
important subject of the formation of a colonial confederacy. Lieu- 
tenant-Governor De Laneey presided over the convention. The treaty 
was renewed, and in July Dr. Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, 
presented to the convention a plan of union having many of the features 



ICS llli; EMPIUE STATE. 

<it our national Constitntioii. It was adopted, and copies were sent to 
tiie several colonial Ass;eniblies and to tlie imperial Board of Trade for 
ratification. 

The hit^tory of tliis plan is singular. Tiie Assenildies refused tlieir 
assent liecause it seemed too arlstorrafic — giving tlic governor to be 
appointed 1>\' the king too imidi jiower. The Board of Trade rejected 
it liccanse it \v:is too il' tnocraiic — gave too mucli |)o\ver to the peoi>le.* 

Meanwhile war liad actually been begun near the upper waters of the 
Ohio River. The English Land Company had begun the erection of a 
fort on the site of (i)resent) Pittsburg. The workmen were driven away 
by French soldiers, who finished tlie work and named it Fort Duquesne 
in honor of the Governor of Canada. Tiie Governor of Virginia (Din- 
widdle) sent six hundred troops under Colonel Joshua Fry, with Washing- 
ton, commissioned a major, as his lieutenant, to expel the French. Tiie 
advanced corps under Major Wasliington, when about lift^' miles from 
Fort Duquesne, was compelled to halt and construct a stockade (which 
was called Fort Necessity) and prepare for resisting a detachment of 
French troops wliich had been sent to intercept them. Before the fort 
was completed a party was sent out to attack the approaching foe. This 
was done at tlie dead of night. The commander of the French 
(Junionville) was slain, and only fifteen of his fifty men escaped. A 
larger French force soon invested Fort Necessity, and notwithstanding it 
liad been re-enforced by troops from New York, Wa.shington was com- 
pelled to surrender on the morning of July itli and return to Virginia. 
So the French and Indian War was begun in the colonies about two 
years before the "War of the Austrian Succession, of which it was a part, 
was ])roclaimed by France and Great Britain. 

The British Government, though it perceived that a conflict in 
America wiis impending more serious than any which had yet occurred, 
gave a very small amount of aid to the English-American colonies. It 
contributed only ^50,(XlU and a commission for Governor Sharpe, of 

* It proposed a general government to be administered by one cliief magistrate 
appointed by llie crown and a council of forty-eight members chosen by the several 
legishitures. Tliis council, answering to our Senate, Wiu; to have ijower to declare war, levy 
troops, raise money, regulate trade, conclude peace, and do many other things necessiirj' 
for the general gooil. The Boiird of Trade liad proi)osed a plan which containetl all the 
elements of a system for the utter enslavement and dependence of tlie Americans. They 
proposed a general government composed of the governors of the several colonies and 
certain select members of the general councils. These were to have power to draw on 
the British Treasury for money to carry on the impending war, the sura to be reim- 
bursed by taxes imposed by Parliament on the colonists. The latter preferred to do 
their own fighting and levy their own taxes iiideviendeul of Great Britain. 



MILITARY EXPEDITIONS PLANNED. 163 

Marylaiul, as commander-in-chief of the colonial forces. Sharpe did not 
serve. Shirley put fortii energetic efforts in Massachusetts ; New York 
voted 8;25,000 for military purposes, and Maryland voted $30,000 for 
the same purpose. 

The war that ensued forms an important part of the history of our 
Republic, but tlie jilan and scope of this work precludes the possibility 
of siving an account of even important events, civil and military, whicii 
have occurred outside of the province and State of New York, excepting 
such connected with its history as may be necessary to elucidate our 
subject. 

General Edward Braddock was sent to America early in 1755 as com- 
mander-in-chief of all the provincial forces. In April he met in confer- 
ence, at Alexandria, Va., six colonial governors — namely, Shirley, of 
Massachusetts ; Dinwiddle, of Virginia ; De Lancey, of New York ; 
Sharpe, of Maryland ; Morris, of Pennsylvania ; and Dobbs, of North 
Carolina. They planned three expeditions — one against Fort Duquesne, 
to be commanded by Braddock ; a second against Forts Niagara and 
Frontenac (Kingston, U. C), to be commanded by Governor Shirley ; 
and a third against Crown Point, on Lake Champlain, to be led by 
William Johnson, the Indian commissioner. A fourth expedition had 
already been arranged by Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts, and Gov- 
ernor Lawrence, of Nova Scotia, for the purpose of driving the French 
Neutrals, or Acadians, out of the jieninsula. It was led by General 
AYinslow, of Boston. 

The expedition against the Acadians was successful, but the cruel 
circumstances and the result of their expulsion justly places it among 
the great crimes of history. The expedition against Fort Duquesne was 
a disastrous failure. Braddock was defeated and mortally -wounded in 
the battle of the Monongahela in July. Colonel "Washington was the 
only officer of his staff who remained unhurt, and he saved the remnant 
of the army from annihilation by conducting a masterly retreat. The 
expeditions of Shirley and Johusou within the State of New Y^ork will 
be noticed presently. 



1C4 THE EMPIRE STATE. 



CIIArTEIl XII. 

WiiiLK politicians of the baser .sort, in and out of tlie Xew York 
Assembly, were playing disreputable games in which the best interests 
of the comiiionwealth were more or less involved, the people at large, 
alarmed by the evidences that a war was a-kindling at their very doors, 
became clamorous for the adoption of measures of defence against their 
im]>lacable foe. Heeding these clamors, De Lancey convened the 
Assembly early in Fel)ruary (1755), and in Iiis message to them he 
desired that body to make proper provisions for putting the province in 
a state of suital)lo defence, to secure Albany against the French and 
Indians, and to authorize the building of a strong fortilication farther up 
the Hudson River. 

The Assembly took prom]>t action. Utterly disregarding the royal 
instructions which prohibited the further issue of paper money by the 
colony unless authorized to do so by the crown, they ordered the emis- 
sion of over SlOO,000 in l)ills of credit. They authorized the levy of 
eight hundred men and the impressment of artificers, prohibited the 
exportation of provisions to the French colonies, and provided funds for 
arming the troops and for making presents to the Indians to secure their 
co-operation. 

It was at this juncture that active preparations for the expeditions 
against Forts Niagara and Frontenac, under Shirley, and Crown Point, 
under William Johnson, were l)egun. The call for volunteers and levies 
was cheerfully responded to. The troops destined for these expeditions 
were ordered to asscmlile at Albany, and were gathered there at the 
close of June. Those who were to follow Shirley consisted of certain 
regiments of regulars from New England, Xew York, and New Jersey, 
and a band of Indian auxiliaries. Those who were to follow Johnson 
were chiefly Xew England and Xew York militia, nearly six thousand in 
number. Ship-carpenters were sent to Oswego to prepare vessels to 
cope with the French on Lake Ontario. The first armed schooner, 
carrying a dozen swivel-guns, was launched there at the close of June. 

Johnson's second in command was Colonel Lyman, of Connecticut,* who 

• Phineas Lyman wa.s Ixini at Durham, Conn., about 1716: died in Wost Florida in 
1775. lie was a graduate of Yale College, and wa-s a tutor there. lie was tirst a mer- 
chant and then a lawyer in Suflield, where he was a magistrate several years. He was 



MILITARY OPERATIONS IX NORTHERN NEW YORK. 105 

bore the comniission of major-general when he arrived at Albany at the 
middle of June. He was much superior in military ability to his chief, 
and should have held his place. He arranged the expedition for Johnson 
with skill and energy, and then, with the main body of the little army, 
he pressed forward during the hot days of midsummer to the " great 
carrying-place'' between the Hudson and Lake Champlain, fifty miles 
from Albany. He was accompanied by three hundred ilohawk warriors 
under the famous !Moha\vk chief King Hendrick.* "While waiting for 
the tardy Johnson to arrive with artillery and stores, Lyman caused his 
men to construct a strong fortification of timlier and earth, which was 
named Fort Lyman ; but Johnson afterward ungenerously changed the 
name to Fort Edward, that he might pay successful court to a J'oung 
scion of royalty. 

When Johnson arrived at Fort Edward he took command of the army. 
News of Braddock's defeat dispirited him, and he would have abandoned 
the expedition had not Lyman urged him to go forward. It was deter- 
mined to proceed against Crown Point by way of Lake St. Sacrament, 

commanclcr-in-chk'f of the Conuccficut forces at the breaking out of tlie French and 
Indian AVar, and performed admirable service at Lalse George and its vicinity, as men- 
tioned in the text. He was with Lord Ilowe when lie was killed in 1738 ; was at the 
capture of Crown Point and Montreal, and in 1762 he led troops against Havana. Cuba. 
In 1703 General Lyman went to England to secure prize-money for himself and soldiers, 
and a grant of land near Natchez, on the 3Iississippi. The region Avas called West 
Florida, and there he died soon after reaching it. 

* Ilendrick was a famous Mohawk sachem as well as a warrior, and was sometimes 
called ' ' King Ilendrick. ' ' When Johnson encamped at Lake George and proposed to send 
out a small party to meet an approaching French force, Heudriek, who was wise and 
sagacious, said, " If they are to light, they are too few ; if thej- are to be killed, they 
are too many." Johnson deferred to Hendriek's judgment, and sent out twelve hundred 
men. Hendrick was one of the most sagacious Indian statesmen of his time, but Johnson 
outwitted him once. Being at Johnson Hall, Ilendrick saw and coveted a richly em- 
broidered scarlet coat. He tarried all night at the Hall. The next morning Hendrick 
said to Johnson, ' ' Brother, me dream last night. " " Indeed, ' ' answered Johnson. ' ' What 
did my red brother dream ?" " Me dream that coat be mine." " It is yours," said the 
shrewd Indian agent. Not long afterward Johnson visited Hendrick. and said, 
"Brother, I dreamed last night." "What did you dream?" asked Hendrick. "I 
dreamed that tliis tract of land w;is mine," describing a boundary which included nearly 
one hundred thousand acres of land. Hendrick was astounded, but ^vould not be out- 
done in generosity. Pondering a few moments, he said, " Brother, the land is yours ; but 
you must not dream again." Tlie title was conferred by the British Government, and 
the tract was called '' The Royal Grant." The portrait on page 166 is copied from a colored 
print made in London while Hendrick was on a visit there, about 1750. He appears in a 
full court dress presented to him by the king. His signature and totem may be seen 
among totemic signatures on page 6. Hendrick was born about 1680, and was killed in 
battle near Lake George in 1753. 



KiC 



Tin: EMPIRE STATf:. 




KING IIK.NDUKK. 



wliicli Jolinson now ii;iiiie<l L;ike George in honor of liis king. At the 
head of that hvke tlie commander established an open camp, ntterly 
neglecting to intrench it. Suddenly scouts brought the alarming intelli- 
gence that the forest between Fort 
Edward and the head of Lake 
fhamplain was swarming with 
French regulars, Canadian militia, 
and Indians. Johnson immediately 
sent out Colonel Ephraim Willi;mi3 
(Sej)teml)er Sth, 1755) with a 
thousand provincials and two hun- 
dred ^fohawks under Ilendrick to 
; tlie relief of Fort Edward. The 

foe had changed their destination, 
and were approaching Johnson's 
camp. The detachment fell into 
an anil>uscade. Williams and 
Ilendrick and many of their fol- 
lowers were slain. The remainder 
fled back to the camp hotly pur- 
sued by the victors, two thousand strong, led by General the Baron 
Dieskau. 

Johnson was apprised of this disaster before the arrival of the fugitives, 
and liastily threw up a breastwork of trees, upon which he planted two 
cannons received the day before from Fort Edward. As the motley foe 
rushed upon the camp, discharges from these great guns terrified the 
Indians, and they fled to the Avoods. At that moment Lyman, who had 
liastened from Fort Edward to Johnson's relief, appeared, when the 
Canadian militia also lied. 

Johnson had lieen wounded by a musket-hall in the fleshy part of the 
thigh at the beginning of the action, and Lyman took the command. 
The French regulars continued the light for about four hours, when, 
their commander being fatally wounded, they also fled and hastened 
back to Crown Point. General Lyman had won the victory and saved 
the army. 

Learning that the French were strengthening Crown Point, Johnson, 
contrary to the opinions and wishes of his oflicers and troops, abandoned 
the enterprise and lingered long in his camp — long enough to build a 
fort at the head of tiie lake, which he named "William Henry. Having 
garrisoned it and Fort Edward, he returned to Albany witli tlie remainder 
of his forces in October. He M-as rev.-arded for his services in the cam- 



PLAN OF CAMPAIGN FOR 17.-,6. 167 

paign with the honors of knighthood and $25,000 to support the dignity. 
This honor and emohiuient properly belonged to General Phineas Lyman.* 

The expedition of Governor Shirley against Forts Niagara and 
•Fi-ontenac was unsuccessful. It was late in August before the main 
body of his troops were gathered at Oswego, twenty-five hundred in 
number. Storms on the lake, sickness in his camp, and the desertion of 
his Indian allies (warriors of the Six Nations) compelled Shirley to 
abandon the expedition. Leaving a sufficient garrison at Oswego under 
Colonel ]\Iercer, the remainder of the troops were marched back to 
Albany and disbanded. So ended the campaign of 175.5. 

The home government now took up tlie quarrel. Great Britain 
declared war against France in May, 175t'i, and France reei]>rocated it by 
a similar declaration in June. The plan of the campaign for that year 
submitted by Shirley, the successor of Braddock — a splendid theorist, 
but witli little practical knowledge of military matters — had already been 
adopted at a convention of colonial governors held at Albany in 
December, 1755. It was arranged that ten thousand men should pro- 
ceed against Crown Point ; six thousand against Niagara ; three thou- 
sand against Fort Duquesne, and two thousand to cross the wilderness 
between the Kennebec and Chaudiere rivers and menace Quebec by 
attacking the French settlers in that region of Canada. 

Lord Loudoun, -j- a very lazy and most inefficient man, was appointed 
Shirley's successor as commander-in-chief of the British forces in 
America. He sent his lieutenant. General Abercrombie (by no means a 
brilliant man), to America in the spring of 1756. He arrived at New 

* After the victory at Lake George Lyman vehemently urged Johnson to push for- 
ward immediately and take possession of Tieonderoga and Crown Point, which he miglit 
easily have done while the French were panic-stricken by their defeat. But .Joluison had 
none of the qualities of a good general, not even suthcient moral courage, and did know 
how to profit by success. Shirley and others, and a council of war of his own otflcers, 
urged him to advance, but he spent weeks in his camp instead in building Fort William 
Henry. .Jealous of General Lyman, whose superiority he felt, and with meanness only 
equalled by his incapacity, lie did not even mention Lyman's name in his report of the 
battle to the Lords of Trade ; and immediately after the battle he changed the name of 
Fort Lyman to Fort Edward, as we have observed. The influence of friends at court 
secured to Johnson the honors and emoluments mentioned in the text. They were un- 
worthily bestowed upon an avaricioxis and immoral man and an unskilful general, while 
a nolile, pinr, and brave ollicer was suffered to go unnoticed either by liis commander or 
the king whom he faithfully served. The pen of history will not neglect him. 

f John Campbell, fourth Earl of Loudoun, was born in Scotland in ITO.l Tie was 
appointed Governor of Virginia in IToG, but leaving the province in charge of his lieuten- 
ant, Dinwiddle, he engaged in military affairs, in which his indolence and inelliciency 
worked much mischief. He was recalled from the colonies in MiiiT. and was made lieu- 
tenant-general the next year. He was created general in 1770, and died in 1782. 



108 Tiir, KMi'iin; state. 

York in June with some regular soldiers, and after loitering awhile near 
the sea he ascended the Hudson to Albany, where he found General 
Win^^low at the head of seven thousand provincial troops. Wiiislow liad 
been i-oniniissioned by Shirley to coiiiiimnd tiie expedition against Crown 
Point. These troops were anxious to press forward, for tiie whole 
frontier of New York was menaced by the French and Indians. The 
entiiusiastn and patriotism of the soldiers were rei)rcsse<l b>' Abercronibie, 
who cast a firebrand among them and tlie people by insisting upon the 
right of regular officers to command provincial officers of the same rank, 
and also the propriety of (juartering the regular officers on the inhab- 
itants. These assumptions, haughtily presented, caused serious disputes 
and mutual dislikes. Van Schaick, Mayor of Albany, disgusted with 
the superciliousness of tlie regular officers, said to them : "Go hack 
again ; go back, for we can defend our frontiers ourselves." 

But Abercronibie would not allow the troops to move either way. lie 
kept at least ten thousand men, regulars and provincials, at Albany until 
near the close of summer waiting for Loudoun, when the French had 
gained advantages that disconcerted the whole plan of the campaign. 

An energetic provincial officer — Colonel John Bradstrect— had per- 
formed a signal service in the interior with a handful of men, and 
rebuked his superiors by his activit}'. It was necessary to send pro- 
visions to the garrison at Oswego. Bradstreet was appointed to under- 
take the perilous task — perilous because it was known that the French 
and Indians were hovering around Oswego. With only two hundred 
])r«>vincials F.radstreet traversed the wilderness by way of the Mohawk 
Kivcr, "Wood Creek, and Oneida Lake, and passing down the Oswego 
Iiiver, put into the forts at Oswego provisions for five thousand men for 
six months. lie -eturned in safety after suffering incredible hardships. 

The Marquis de Montcalm, a field-marslial of France, had succeeded 
the Baron Dieskau in command of the French troops in America. 
Profiting by the delays of tlie English at Albany, and aware of the weak- 
ness of the British commanders, Montcalm ])roceeded to attack tiie post 
at Oswego. He gathered five thousand Frenchmen, Canadians, and 
Indians at Fort Frontenac (Kingston), crossed Lake Ontario, and tm 
August 11th appeared before Fort Ontario, on the east side of the river 
at Oswego, and demanded the suri-ender of the garrison. Tiiat fort had 
been built recently. Colonel Mercer, in command, refused compliance, 
M-hen the French began a regular siege. An attack at midnight was 
l)ravely resisted, when Colonel Mercer spiked his guns and withdrew the 
garrison to an older fort (built by Governor Burnet) on the west side of 
the river, ^^rontcalm brought his cannon to bear upon this fort. 



AX INEFFICIENT COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 1G9 

Colonel Mercer \ras killed, and on the IJrtli the garrison, sixteen hundred 
strong, surrendered. The forts ^vere demolislied, Oswego was made 
desolate, and the country of the Six Xations was laid open to easy incur- 
sions by the enemy. 

Tlie sluggish Lord Loudoun liad just arrired, and was temporarily 
alarmed. After loitering at Albany a few weeks longer, recalling troops 
which had been sent toward Ticonderoga, and making wicked, unjust, 
and ungenerous complaints against the provincials, expecting thereby to 
conceal his own imbecility, he dismissed them and ordered the regulars 
into winter quarters. lie took a thousand of the latter to Xew York City 
and haughtily demanded tlie billeting of their officers upon the inhab- 
itants free of charge. The mayor, in behalf of the people, questioned the 
righteousness of tlie demand, when Loudoun, uttering a coarse oath, said : 

" If you do not billet my officers upon free quarters this day I'll order 
all the troops in Xorth America under my command, and billet them 
myself upon the city." 

Loudoun's demand was sustained by an Order in Council * passed a 
few months before, that troops might be kept in the colonies and quar- 
tered on the people without the consent of colonial legislatures. The 
authorities at Z^ew York yielded to Loudoun's demand under a silent but 
most solemn protest. This was the earl's only victory in America. 
That order, virtually authorizing a standing army in the colonies to be 
maintained, in a great measure, i)y the people, was the magnetic touch 
that gave vitality to the sentiment of resistance which soon sounded the 
tocsin of revolution. 

Military operations under Loudoun's command were quite as ineffi- 
cient elsewhere as in the province of Xew York. Colonel "Washington 
was at the head of fifteen hundred volunteers and drafted militia, and 
was anxious to act against Fort Duquesne ; but he was made powerless 
by official interference and incapacity. 

Loudoun called a military council at Boston in January, 1757. lie 
proposed to confine the operations of that year to an expedition against 
Louisl)urg (which had been restored to the French by the treaty of Aix- 
la-Chapelle), and to a defence of the northern frontiers. The colonists 
of New York and Xew England desired to expel the French from the 

* The British Privy Council is an assembly of advisers in matters of State appointed 
by the sovereign. It was firet establi.she<l by King Alfred in 89.5, and consisted of only 
twelve members, and was a permanent committee. Now it is composed of the chief 
magnates of the nation, including the ministry. A Privy Councillor must be a native 
of Great Britain. The autliority of Parliament is delegated to this body in the regulation 
of public affaii-s. " Orders in council " have the force of constitutional commands. 



iru THE EMPIRK STAT?! 

region south of the St. Lawrence and to recover Oswego. Tliey were 
grievously disai^poiiited 1)V Loiidoinrs perverseness ; yet tlieir ardor and 
])atriotisni were not much abated, for at the opening of summer six 
tiiousand provincials were under arms. Members of the military council 
had mildly remonstrated, but in vain. Loudoun was imperious, and had 
very little respect for tlie opinions of provincials ; and wiser and better 
men than he were compelled to acquiesce. 

Loudoun determined to go to Louisburg himself. After impressing 
into the British .service four hundred men at New York, he sailed for 
Halifax in June, where he fcmnd himself at tlie head of a weIl-a])pointed 
army of ton thousand men and a fleet of sixteen ships of the line and 
several frigates. Instead of going to Cajie Breton at once and attacking 
the strong fortress there, Loudoun employed his men in laying out a 
parade, planting a vegetable garden for tiicir use, and exercising tliem 
in sham battles. So he wasted the precious summer-time. At last 
when, in August, he prepared to sail for Louisburg, he was informed 
that the garrison there had been re-enforced, and that the French had 
one more ship than he. Alarmed, this absurd leader, who was always 
in a hurry but always unready — " like St. George on a tavern sign, 
alwavs on hoi"seback but never going forward " — abandoned the enter- 
prise and sailed for New York to hear of military disasters in that prov- 
ince. These M-ill bo noticed presently. 

For more than a year the English in America liad acted so much 
" like women" that the Indians were disgusted, while the activity of 
the French won their admiration and alliance. At the beginning of tlie 
smnmer of 1T.>T warriors from " niorc than thirty nations" were at 
Montreal. Governor A'audreuil told tliein of glory and plunder surely 
to be obtained l)y alliance M'ith tlie French. Montcalm danced their 
wild war-dances witii tliem and sungr tlieir tierce war-sonits witli tliem 
ujitil their affection for him and enthusiasm for the French cause became 
intense. They went in a wild, tumultuous march for St. John's, on the 
Sorel (the outlet of Lake Champlain), accompanied by priests wlio 
chanted hymns and anthems in almost every Indian dialect. In canoes 
and bateaux the French and their dusky allies went up Lake Champlain 
and landed at Ticonderoga in liot July. Tlience Montcalm sent maraud- 
ing parties almost to Fort Edward under Marin, who had destroyed the 
handet of Saratoga more tlian a dozen yeare before. 

A'ery soon Montcalm* appeared on Lake George with eight thousand 

* Tlie Marquis de Montcnlin Wiis lioin in Franco in 1713. and ivii.^ of noble descent, 
lie cnli-red llio army while lie Wius vet a lad. and soon distinsruished himself. In 1756 he 



THE FRENCH CAPTURE FORT AVILLIAM HENRY. 171 

men (two thousand of them Indians) and a train of artillery, and laid 
siege (August 2dj to Fort William HenrV;* then garrisoned by less than 
live hundred men under Colonel Munro, supported by almost ten thou- 
sand provincials in an entrenched camp ujion a gentle rocky eminence, 
where may now be seen the dim ruins of the citadel of Fort George. A 
little more than a dozen miles distant was Fort Edward, where lay the 
timid General Webb with about four thousand troops. 

Munro was surprised. General AVebb had learned from scouts of the 
approach of the foe, but more willing to have them fall upon Fort William 
Henry than upon Fort Edward, he concealed the fact from Munro. 
When Montcalm appeared the latter sent an express to Webl) imploring 
succor. Xot doubting it would be sent, he promptly refused compliance 
with Montcalm's summons to surrender the fort, and bravely sustained a 
siege for several days, continually expecting aid from Fort Edward in 
response to several expresses sent to Webb. But no succor came. 
Welib would not .spare a man. lie finally sent a letter to Munro filled 
with exaggerations, and advising him to surrender. The letter fell into 
the hands of Montcalm at a moment when he was about to abandon the 
siege and retire. The French leader immediately made a peremptory 
demand for a surrender. Despairing of succor, Munro yielded, and on 
the morning of August 9th (1757) the garrison marched out to the 
intrenched camp under a promise of protection and other honorable con- 
ditions. They were promised that they should proceed in safety to Fort 
Edward on parole. 

Montcalm had kept intoxicating lirpiors from his Indians, but the Eng- 
lish settlers suijplied them with rum. After a night's carousal the bar- 
barians, intiamed with intoxication and a desire for plunder, were ready 
for any mischief, and when the prisoners left the camp for Fort Edward 

was sent to Canada, with the rank of major-general, to take the chief military command 
there. After serving with skill and bravery in America for about three years, he was 
killed in battle at Quebec in September, 1759. 

* During the previous winter fifteen hundred French regulars and Canadian militia 
went down from the St. Lawrence to Lake George, travelling much of the way with 
snow-.shoes, and attempted to take Fort William Henry by surprise. Their provisions 
were carried on small sledges drawn by dogs, and their beds were bear-skins spread on 
the snow. Stealthily they went over the frozen lake and appeared before the fort sit 
midnight (March 16th, IToT). The garrison were on the alert. The invaders set fire to 
three vessels frozen in the ice there, a storehouse, and some huts, and escaped by the light 
of the conflagration. Rogers's Rangers were at the fort, and were noted for their 
aggressive movements that winter. One of their bravest men wa.s Lieutenant Stark 
(afterward the hero of Bennington), who commanded the Rangers in the absence of 
Rogers. Under Stark they were often found attacking parties of the foe in the vicinity 
of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. 



172 TlIK EMPIRE STATE. 

tlio crazed Imliims, defying Montcalm's efforts to restrain tliem, fell 
upon tlie defenceless captives, when a fearful scene of slaughter. j)lunder, 
and devastation ensued. The fort and its appendages were laid in ruins, 
and for nearly one hundred years nothing marked its site but some half- 
concealed mounds. Xow a large summer hotel stands upon its site. 
This sad event was the closing one of the campaign of 1757, and, happily, 
ended tlie leadership of the Earl of Loudoun on this side of the Atlantic. 

Montcalm did not attempt further concpiests at that time, but returned 
to Ticonderoira, strengthened the M-orks there, and sent out scouting 
parties to annoy the Jiritish and capture their foragers. These enter- 
prises wore fruitful of exciting scenes.* 

The position of atTairs in America now alarmed the English people. 
The Americans were l)rave and high-spirited, and recent events had 
manifested strengtJi and their ability to support themselves. With a 
sense of their independence of Great I'ritain there was danger of their 
alienation. Some of tlie royal governors were rapacious ; others were 
incompetent ; all M'cre, as a rule, haughty in their demeanor. The 
arrogant assnm])tion of superiority by the IJritish military officers dis- 
gusted the provincial troops and often cooled the ardor of whole regi- 
ments. 

Perceiving the incompetency of the government of the aristocracy, 
the people of Great I'ritain yearned for a change in the administration 
of piii)lic affairs. The ])opular will prevailed, \7illiam Pitt was called 
to the premiership in June, 1757. " Give me your confidence," said 
the great commoner to tiie king, " and 1 will deserve it." "Deserve 
my confidence," the king replied, " and you shall have it." 

Pitt wouhl not listen to the pernicious twaddle about enforcing royal 
antiiority in America that fell from the lips of the Lords of Trade. 
'• W'c want the cooperation of tiic Americans," he said, "' and to have 
it we must be just and allow them freedom." These words ran like an 



♦ These scouting parties were watcher! by Major Rogers and his Rangers of New 
Ilaiiiiisliire. Tlic afterward famous Israel Putnam was his lieutenant. On one occasion 
a i>arty of French and Indians led by Captain Molang captured a convoy of English 
wagoners. Rogers and Putnam attempted to intercept tlie French on their return, but 
fell into an ambush, and Puln.im and a few followers, separated from the rest, were 
ciiptunil. His comitKles were killcil and scaliwd, but he was reserved for torture. He 
|)a-ised the night bound to a tree, where his clothes were riddled with bullets by the cross 
tiling of the combatants, lie was taken deeper into the forest, fast bound to a tree, and 
a fire was built around him, when a sudden thunder-shower nearly extinguished the 
llames. They soon liegan to blaze liercely again, when Molang, who had heard of these 
proceedings, rushed through the band of Indians, released Putnam, and carried him to 
Ticonderoga. 



PLAX OF CAMPAIGX FOR 1T58. 173 

electric thrill through the hearts of the colonists, and men and money 
were freely offered for tlie cause. The French in Canada were growing 
weaker, for they received scanty aid from France. '' The king relies on 
your zeal and obstinacy of courage," wrote the French Minister to 
Montcalm in 175S. '' AVithout unexpected good fortune or blunders on 
the part of the English," the candid general replied, " Canada must be 
lost this cainpaign, or certainly the next." 

Pitt so(^n diffused his own energy and wisdom into every department 
of the government. He did not demand anything of the colonies, but 
ashed them to raise and clothe twenty thousand men, promising tbem, in 
the name of Parliament, to furnish arms, tents, and provisions for such 
levies, and also to reimburse the several colonies all the money they 
should expend in raising and clothing these troops. A large naval arma- 
ment for American waters was placed under the command of Admiral 
Boscawen, and twelve thousand British troops were allotted for service in 
America. This liberal policy had a magical effect. New England alone 
raised fifteen thousand of the required levies ; j^ew York furnished about 
three thousand ; Xew Jersey, one thousand ; Pennsylvania, three 
thousand, and Virginia two thousand. 

The scheme for the campaign of 1758 was extensive in its intended 
operations. Shirley's plan of 1756 was revived and its general outlines 
•were adopted. The chief points of assault were designated — Louisburg, 
Ticonderoga, and Duquesne. Twelve thousand men mider General 
Amherst were to attack Louisburg, and ]30ssibly Quebec. Another 
army was to lie led from Albany by Abercrombie and young Lord 
Howe to attack Ticonderoga, and General Joseph Forbes was ap- 
pointed to lead another army over the Alleghany Moimtains to attack 
Fort Duquesne. 

Louisburg received the first blow. Boscawen with forty armed vessels, 
bearing Amherst with a land force of twelve thousand men, and having 
General Wolfe as his lieutenant, left Halifax at near the close of May, 
and on June 8th the troops landed near Louisburg. The French, after 
a vigorous resistance of about fifty days, surrendered the fort and city 
and the islands of Cape Breton and Prince Edward to the Britisli. 
When Louisburg fell the French dominion in America began to wane, 
and from that time its decline was rapid. 

While Amherst and AV^olfe were conquering in the east, Al)ercrombie 
and young Lord Howe were leading seven thousand regulars, nine thou- 
sand provincials, and a large train of artillery against Ticonderoga, then 
occupied by Montcalm with about four thousand soldiers. Howe was 
" the soul of the expedition." He was a '' Lycurgus of the camp," 



1T4 TlIK K.Ml'IlJl-: STATK. 

introdncing stern rules and radical reforms, and adapting everj'thing to 
the aliisolutc needs of the service. 

Tlirougji tiie activity of ("olonel .lolin Bradstreet,* ably assisted by 
Maj(jr riiilip Schnyler, bateaux for carrying troops over Lake George 
were roady by the time tlie necessary stores arrived from England, and 
before tlio cud of June Howe led the first division of the troops to the 
head of tlie lake. Al)ercronil)ie arrived tlii^re witli the remainder at the 
licginning of July. The jirovincial troop.s were chiefly from Xew Eng- 
land and New York. Among the ottieers were Captains Stark, of Xew 
Hampshire, and Putnam, of Connecticnt. 

The whole armament went down the lake on a beautiful Sabliatli after- 
noon (July oth, 175S), led by Lord Jlowe in a large boat, and landed at 




SIGNATCUE OP .lOlIN ISUADSTKKKT. 



dawn the next morning at its northern extremity between four and tive 
miles from Fort Ticoiuleroga. Tlie occupants of a French outpost there 
fled. The first intimation they had of the proximity of an enemy was 
the blaze of the scarlet uniforms of the British in the morning sun. 

The country between the lake and Ticonderoga was covei"ed with a 
dense forest and tangled morasses. The British immediately pressed 
forward, Lord TIowo leading the advanced guard. Following incom- 
petent guides, they Itecaiue bewildered, and while in that condition they 
suddenly encountered a French scouting party. A sharp skirmish 
ensued, and the French troops were defeated ; but Lord Ilowe was slain 
in the first fire. lie was pierced by a bullet and expired immediately. 

* Jolin Bredstrect was Iwrn in 1711 : rtiwl in the city of New York September 35th, 
1774. lie was n licnlenant-colonel of PcpiJerell's provincial regiment at the siege of 
liOnisburg in 1745, and in the autumn was connnissioncd caiitain in n regular regiment. 
In 1746 he was ap|Miinlcd Lieulenanl-Govcrnor of St. John's, Newfoundhuid. He was 
General Shirley's adjutant at Oswego in 17."m, and in 17.">fi conveyed supplies to that post 
through great ]XTils. He wa.s quarterma.«ter-general of the provincial forces under 
General .Vl)crcromliie. and after the repulse at Ticonderoga led a successful expedition 
against Fort Frontenac. He was an efhcicnt officer under Amherst in I'l'til. was commis- 
sioned colonel in 17(i2, major-general in 1764, and commanded an expedition against the 
"Western Indians, and negotiated a treaty of peace. 



ATTACK AND UKPULSE AT TICONDEROaA. 



LI'S 



war to Ticoiideroira tlio next dav. 



His followers, disinayed, retreated in wild confusion to the landiiig-placfe 
and bivouacked for tlie night.* 

Ahercroinhie advanced about half 
and sent his chief engineer, with 
some rangers under Captain Stark, 
to reconnoitre the French works. 
The engineer reported tiie works 
very weak. Stark, instrui^tcd by his 
])ractised eye, declared they were 
very strong. Abcrcrondiit', witJi his 
usual contempt for ])rovincials, re- 
jected Stark's testimony, and on the 
morning of the Sth, having been 
joineil by Sir William .Johnson with 
more than four hundred Indians, lie 
ordered his men forward to scale the 
l)reastworks of the French lines, 
while he, like a coward, remained 
behind. 

The assailants soon found that 




i.oui) IH)\VK. 



Stark was right. The breastworks were strong, and after 



a most 



sanguinary struggle for about four hours the British were repulsed with 
fearful loss. They fled with precijiitation back to Lake George,' leaving 
almost two tliousand of their comrades dead or wounded in the forest. 
Abercronibic had preceded them in their flight, in " extremest fright ;" 
and all hurried to their old camp at tlie liead of the lake. Abercrondjie 
felt safer when he had put that little sea, thirty-eight miles in length, 
between himself and ^lontcalni. 

Colonel Bradstreet, burning witii indignation because of the sliameful 
defeat, urged ujion a council of war held at the head of the lake the 
importance of capturing Fort Frontenac, and offered to lead an expe- 
dition against it. After much hesitation Abercroinbie connnissioned 
him to undertake the enterprise with three thousand men. Bradstreet 
hastened with them to Albany, M'here he M'as joined by ]\Iajor Philip 



* George, Lord- Viscount Howe, was the eldest son of Sir E. Scrope, .second Viscount 
Howe of Ireland. He commanded five thousand British troops wlio arrived at Halifax 
in 1757, and tlie next year, iis we have observed in tlie text, he accompanied Abercrombie 
on his expedition au'ainst Ticonderoga. He was tlie idol of his soldiers. .Mante 
observes : " With him the soul of \\w army seemed to expire." He wasthirty-fourycars 
of age at his death. The General Court of Massaclni.setts Bay appropriated $1250 for the 
erection of a monument to his memory in Westminster Ablwy. 



irc 



THE K.Ml'lKK STATK. 



Sclniyler, and then " almost flew" up tlie vallcv of the ^loliawk and on 
to Oswego. Schuyler and some men had reached that i)ost earlier and 
prepared vessels wherewith to cross the lake with men, cannons, and 
stores. The expedition landed near Frontenac on the evening of August 
'J5th. The French were taken completely by surprise. The fort 
mounted si.xty cannons, but the garrison was very small. The com- 
mander sent to Montreal for aid, but before it could reach him he was 
compelled to surrender tlie fort and its dependencies, with immense 
spoil, particidarly in .^^t ores destined for Fort Ducpiesne ; also nine armed 
vessels carrying from eight to eighteen guns each. 

The capture of Frontenac, the re- 
sult of a brilliant expedition, was 
one of the most important events of 
the war. It facilitated the fall of 
DiKpiesne, discouraged tiie Fi'encli, 
gave joy to the Fnglish, and re- 
tlccted honor on tlie jirovincials. 
It raised a cry for peace throughout 
Canada, the resources of which were 
almost exhausted. " I am not 
discouraged," wrote Montcalm, in 
evident disappointment, " nor are 
my troops. We are resolved to 
find our graves under the I'uins of 
the colony." * 

The expedition against Fort 
T)u<piesne, led l)y General Forbes, 
was finally successful in spite of 
Iiini. Tie set out with al)out six 
thousand men in July. He was 
Ih-itish officer ; perverse in will and 
judgment, and indecisive in action. Sickness and inefficiency and a 
persistence in coustnicting a new military road over the mountains pro- 

* Bradstrc'C't lost only four or five- men before the ciii)ture of Froiitenao. Then a fearful 
sickness — dysentery — broke out among liis troops, and tive hundred of them were swept 
away. With the remainder he slowly retraced his steps, and ou the Mohawk River, at 
the site of the (present) village of Rome, his troops assisted in Imilding Fort Stanwi.x 
under the direction of General Stanwi.x. 

f The ix'nandink skelch above given was made from a i)liolngraph of the original 
study made by Charles Willson Peale for his threcciuarlcr length portrait of Washington 
in the uniform of a Virginia colonel. It wjus made at Mount Vernon in 1772, when 
Colonel Washington was forty years of age. 







COLONEL OEOKUL: WASUINGTON.f 



a Scotchn 



md 



regular' 



FORT DUQUESNE TAKEN BY THE ENGLISH, 177 

duced such almost iriterminable delays that on November 1st the army 
M'as fifty miles from Fort Duquesne. At length the impatient Colonel 
Washington was sent forward with a detachment of Virginians, and very 
soon accomplished the object of the expedition. Indian scouts employed 
by the French discovered Washington's approach, and their report so 
greatly exaggerated tlie number of his men that the frightened garrison, 
iive hundred strong, set fire to the fort in the evening (November 24th, 
1758) and fled in confusion down the Ohio in boats by the light of the 
flames, leaving everything behind them. The Virginians took possession 
of the fort the next day, and the name of Fort rhTipiesne was changed 
to Fort Pitt in iionor of the British Prime-Minister. 

With the close of this expedition ended the campaign of 1758. It had, 
on the whole, resulted favorably to Great Britain, and Pitt made vast 
preparations for the campaign of the next year. The attachment of 
some of the Indian allies of the French had been much weakened, and 
at a great council held at Easton, in Pennsylvania, in the summer of 
1758, six tribes had, with the Six Nations,- made treaties of friendship 
und neutrality with the English. 



178 THE KMl'IIJK STATE. 



CHAPTKi: XIII. 

Till-; Hiial strufffjle between tlio I'"ruiicli ami Eiiirlisli fm- masterv in 
Jvortli America was now at hand. I'itt, with wonderful sagacity and 
witli as wonderful kno\vled<;;e of the theatre of conflict in America, con- 
ceis'ed a magnificent plan for tiie conquest of Canada and tlie destruction, 
at one blow, of the Frencli dominion beyond the Atlantic. That 
dominion now did not really extend beyond the region of the St. Law- 
rence, for the settlements or stations in the far west and south were like 
distant, isolated, and weak colonies cut off from the parent country. 
The French in America were then comparatively few in number and 
weak in supplies of every kind. Montcalm was then chief military com- 
mander ; but in all Canada lie could not muster seven thousand men into 
active service, and very few Indians. 

I'itt had the rare good fortune to possess the confidence of Parliament 
and the English- American colonies. The former wei'c; da/./.led by his 
greatness, the latter were impressed with his jnsticL'. lie had promptly 
reimbursed the expenses of the colonists in raising and clothing troops, a 
sum amounting to at least si, 000, 000 ; and they cordially seconded his 
scheme of conquest, which had been communicated to their chief men 
under an oath of secrecy. The Parliament voted S^5*'>00U,0UU for the 
American service, and forces by land and sea such as had never before 
been known in England. " This is Pitt's work," said the Earl of 
Chesterfield, " and it is marvellous in our eyes !" The inefficient Aber- 
crombie was superseded in the chief command in America by Sir 
Jeffrey Amherst,* with General James Wolfe as his lieutenant. 

The plan of operations was simple. General Wolfe, with a strong 

* Sir Jeffrey Amherst was born in Kent, England, January 29lli, 1717 ; died August 
3d, 1797. He entered the royal army as ensign in 1731, and wi\s aide to Lord Ligonier 
and the Duke of Cumberland. He was promoted to major-general in 1756, and was in 
chief command of the English forces sent against Louisburg in 1758. In September 
that year he was appointed commander-in-chief of the British forces in America, and led 
the troops that drove the French from Lake Champlain in 1759. The next year he 
captured Montreal and comjihted the conquest of Canada. For these acts he was 
rewarded with thanks and knighthood. In 1763 he was appointc<i Oovernor of Virginia. 
In 1771 he was Governor of Guernsey, and was created a baron in 177(i. He was com- 
mander-in-chief of the British forces from 177S until 1795, and was created a field-marshal 
in 1796. 



^riLITAKY PREPARATIONS. 



179 




SIR JEFFREY AMHERST. 



land force and a ■well-manned fleet Tinder Admiral Saunders, was to 
ascend the St. Lawrence River and attack Quebec. Another force 
under General Amherst was to drive the French from Lake Champlain, 
seize Montreal, and join Wolfe at 
Qxiebee ; while a third expedition, 
led by General Prideaux, was to 
attempt the capture of Fort Niag- 
ara, and, if successful, to go down 
Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence 
to Montreal. 

When, at the close of summer 
(1758), Amherst, at Cape Breton, 
heard of the disaster at Ticon- 
deroga he sailed for Boston with 
four regiments and a battalion, and 
made a forced march across New 
Enaland to Albanv to re-enforce 
the defeated Abercrombie. He 
arrived at Lake George early in 
October, but too late for further 
action in the field that season. 

He went to Xew York, and in November he received his commission as 
commander-in-chief. Ke spent the winter in New York City making 
preparations for the next campaign. In the spring he made his head- 
quarters at Albany ; appointed Colonel Bradstreet quartermaster-general 
of his anny ; collected his forces, and at the close of May found himself 
at the head of twelve thousand men, chiefly of New York and New 
Eiiffland. The Assembly of New York had authorized the emission of 
half a million dollars in bills of credit, and a loan to the crown of a large 
sum, to be reimbursed before the close of the year. 

Prideaux collected his forces, chiefly f)rovincials, at Oswego. From 
that point, accompanied by Sir William Johnson and some Mohawks, he 
sailed for Niagara, and landed there without much opposition on Jnlj 
loth. A siege was immediately begun, and on the same day Prideaux 
was killed by the bursting of one of his cannons, when Johnson assumed 
the chief command. He demanded the surrender of the fort. The com- 
mander was in hourly expectation of re-enforcements and refused com- 
pliance, and for several days the garrison made a Iirave resistance. 

On the 24th about fifteen hundred French regulars and many Creek 
and Cherokee warriors, drawn from Detroit and elsewhere, appeared, 
commanded by Colonel D' Aubrey, when a sharp battle ensued. The 



ISO THE EMPIRE STATE. 

French ami tlicir allies were soon effectually' routed and dispersed. The 
next dav {.]\\\v Soth) the fort and its dependencies were surrendered to 
the British. The French dominion in that region was fairly annihilated, 
and the connecting link of military power between Canada and Louisiana 
was broken never to be restored. Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey 
wrote to tlie Lords of Trade : " His ]\[ajesty is now in possession of the 
most important pass in all the Indian countries.'" 

Johnson was so encumbered with prisoners that he could not provide 
a sufficiency of vessels to convey hiiu and his troops, with the captives, 
to Jlontreal, so he garrisoned Fort Niagara and returned to Albany. 

Late in June Amherst was at the head of Lake George with about 
twelve thousand troops, regulars and provincials in ecpial numbers ; and 
on July 22d he appeared before the lines at Ticondcroga with about 
eleven thousand uien. The French, conscious of their own weakness 
and peril, lied down the lake to Crown Point, and almost immediately 
abandoned that post also and took a longer flight, halting at Isle aux 
Xoix, at the foot of the lake, or rather in the Sorel River, its outlet. 
Amheret took possession of Crown Point without opposition, and was 
about to follow the French with a detachment of his army, when he was 
informed that tlie allies were tliree thousand strong and that the lake was 
guarded by four vessels carrying heavy guns numerously manned, under 
the command of a skilful French naval officer. 

Andierst paused, and ordered the construction of several vessels of war 
at Crown Point. L'pon these he embarked his whole army at the middle 
of October, for the purpose of driving the French beyond the St. Law- 
rence. Heavy tempests drove him back to Crown Point, where he went 
into winter quarters, and then set his troops at work in the construction 
of a strong and costly fort, the picturcscpie ruins of which are seen by 
tourists on Lake Champhun. The fort and its appurtenances cost the 
British Government several million doUare. It remained in their pos- 
session until 1775. 

Meanwhile a more successful expedition was consummated. Tiic fleet 
of Admiral Saunders, consisting of twenty-two line-of-battle ships, many 
frigates and smaller vessels, bore General Wolfe and eight thousand 
troops up the St. Lawrence River in June (1759). These landed on the 
Island of Orleans, a few miles below Quebec, on the 27th. 

Quebec, then as now, consisted of an Upper and Lower Town, the 
former being surrounded by a strongly fortified wall jiierced by five 
gates. An elevated plateau three hundred feet above the river and 
extending from the rear of the city some distance up the St. Lawrence 
is called the Plains of Abraham, a locality made famous in history by 



THE ENGLISH BESIEGE QUEBEC. ISI 

tlie events of this expedition. At the junction of the St. Charles Eiver 
witii tlie St. Lawrence, at the foot of tlie rocky promontory on which 
Hes the Upper Town, tlie Frencli had armed vessels and floating liat- 
teries. The city was strongly garrisoned by French regulars, and along 
the river from Quebec to the Montmorenci River, a distance of seven 
miles, lay the army of Montcalm, consisting chiefly of Canadians and 
Indians, in an intrenched camp.'''" 

With amazing skill and vigor Wolfe prepared for the siege of Quebec, 
lie took possession of Point Levi, nearly opposite the city, a mile 
distant, on July 30t!i, where he erected batteries and whence he hurled 
blazing bombshells upon the Lower Town, setting on fire fifty houses in 
one night. The citadel was be^'ond their reach. The French sent down 
tire-rafts to burn the Britisli fleet anchored below, but without success. 

Wolfe, eager to gain a victory speedily, had landed a large force 
(July loth, 1759) under Generals Townshend and Murray below the 
Montmorenci, and formed a camp there. Wolfe was in possession of the 
river, but the large fleet could do little more than reconnoitre, trans- 
port troops, and guard the channels. It seemed impossible to force 
a passage across the Montmorenci above the cataract. The only way was 
to cross it at its mouth at low tide. 

Finally, at near the close of July, General Monckton, with grenadiers 
and other troops, was sent over from Point Levi, and lauded on the 
beach above the mouth of the Montmorenci. Without waiting for troops 
from the British camp below to join him, Monckton, with his grenadiers, 
rushed up the steep acclivity to attack Montcalm's lines, when they were 
driven back to the l)cach, while a fierce thunder-storm was raging. Dark- 
ness came on. The roar of the rising tide admonished them to take to 
their boats, which they did, but with a loss of nearly five hundred of 
their comrades, wlio had perished. 

Wolfe sent Murray above the town witli twelve hundred men to de- 
stroy French ships there, and to open the way for Andierst. But alas ! 
Andierst did not come. Murray heard of the fall of Fort Niagara and 
of the expedition of the French from Lake Champlain, but received no 
direct tidings from Amherst. 

Two months had passed away since the landing on Orleans, and yet 
no important advance had been made. In vain Wolfe listened for the 
drums of Amherst. Not even a message came from him, for reasons 
already given. Exposure, anxiety, and fatigue prostrated the commander 

* Montcalm had his headquarters in a stone building not far from Beauport Mills It 
commanded a view of Quel)ue and its immediate vicinity. 



18-,' Tin: i:mi'ikk state. 

ciirl.v ill Septeinber. lie called a council of war at liis bedside, wIich it 
was deteniiiued to scale the Ileijjlits of Ahraliaiu and assail the city in 
the rear. Feeble as he was, Wolfe resolved to lead the attack in j)crsi)n. 
The camp at the Montinorenci wa.s broken up (September 8th), and the 
r.ttentioii of Montcalm was diverted from the real desii^ns of the Britisli 
by seeming preparations to attack his lines. The allair was managed so 
secretly and skilfully that even De Bougainville, a French officer with 
fifteen hundred men wiio had been sent up the river to watch the 
movements of the British, did not suspect their design. 

On the evening of the 12th the whole army destined for the assault 
moved up the river from Point Levi in transports, several leagues 
above the chosen landing-place. At midnight they left the ships, and 
embarking in flat-boats, floated noiselessly down the stream with the ebb- 
ing tide.* Black clouds obscured the sky, but the voyagers reached 
their destination in good order, and landed without being discovered. 
The place where they disembarked is still kiiuv.-n as Wolfe's Cove. 
They at once clambered up tlie tangled ravine that led to the Plains of 
Abraham, and at dawn on tiie loth about five thousand P>ritisli troops 
stood upon tiie heights, a fearful ap])arition to the French sentinels and 
the sergeants' guard at the l)row of the acclivity, who, in hot haste, 
carried the alarming news first to the garrison in Quebec and then to 
Montcalm at Beauport, beyond the St. Charles River. " It can only be 
a small party come to burn a few houses and return," .said the incredu- 
lous commander. 

Montcalm was soon undeceived. Uc immediately sent orders for De 
Levi and De Bougainville to return with their troops. Abandoning his in- 
trenchments, he led a greater portion of his army across the St. Charles, 
and at ten o'clock in the morning tiiey stood in battle array on the Plains 

* Wolff; appparcd to be in good spirits, yet there was evidently a liroodinj? sliadow of 
SI preseutiiueiil of evil. At the evening mess he sang the liltlu campaigu soug beginning, 

" Why, Boldicrs, why 

ShniiUl we be inela)ich<)]y boys ? 

Why, soldiers, why, 
Whose businem^ 'tU to die," etc. 

And lis he sat among his oRieors and floated softly down llie river in tlic gloom, ho re- 
peated, ill his ninsing tones, that stanza from Gray's "Elegy in a Connlry ( luiieh- 
yard" — 

" The Iwmst ot heriildry. the pomp of intwer. 

And till Ihat beauty, all that wealth e'er save, 
Await alllie th' inevitable hour — 
The path of glory leads but to the grave." 

At the close lie said, " Xow, gentlemen, I would prefer being the author of that ]>oeni 
to the glorv of lieating the Freneh to-morrow." 



DEATH OF WOLFK AND MONTCALM. 183 

of Abraham, near the town. Both parties lackeil heavy guns. Tlie 
Freiicli hail three tield-pieces, the Englisli only one — a light six- 
pounder which some sailors had dragged up the ravine. The two com- 
manders, at the head of their respective troops, faced each other. 

A general, fierce, and sanguinary battle now ensued. The British 
muskets were double-shotted, and the soldiers reserved their fire until 
within forty yards of their foes, when they poured upon the French 
such destructive volleys that the latter were thrown into utter confusion. 
The terrible Englisli bayonet completed the work and secured the vic- 
tory. Wolfe and Montcalm had both been mortally wounded. Wolfe, 
leaning on the shoulder of an officer, M-as borne to the rear. Ilis car 
caught the exclamation, " See ! tliey run ! they run !" 

'■ Who runs V asked the dying hero in a whisper. 

"The enemy, sir; they give way everywhere!" was the reply. 
Wolfe then gave an order to cut off their retreat, and then said, in an 
almost inaudible whisper : 

" Now, God be praised, I die liapjiy I" and expired. 

Montcalm's surgeon said to his wounded general, '" Death is certain." 

" I am glad of it," said the marquis. '• How long have I to live ?" 

" Ten or twelve hours ; perhaj^s less." 

" So much the better ; I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec !" 

About seventy years after this event an English governor of Canada 
caused a modest granite column to be erected on the spot where Wolfe fell, 
with the inscription, "Here died Wolfe, victorious September 13th, 
1759." In its place now stands a beautiful Doric column of granite dedi- 
cated to the memory of both AVolfe and Montcalm. It also bears the former 
inscription. It was erected by the British army in Canada in ISiO. 

General Townshend assumed the command of the British army, and 
five days after the l)attle he received tlie formal surrender of the city of 
Quel)ec. The remainder of Montcalm's army, under De Levi, fied to 
Montreal. So, brilliantly for the English, ended the campaign of 1759. 
1 et Canada was not conquered. Five thousand troops under General 
Murray took possession of the great prize. The fleet, with French 
prisoners, sailed for Halifax. 

Tiie final struggle for the mastery in Canada was begun early in the 
spring of 1760, when Vaudreuil, the governor-general, sent De Levi, 
with ten thousand regulars, Canadians, and Indians in six frigates to 
attempt the recovery of Quebec. De Levi appeared before the city at 
the close of March, when the brave Murray went out with his whole 
force — less than three thousand — to attack him. At Sillery, three miles 
above Quebec, one of the most sanguinary battles of the war was fought. 



184 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

Murray was defeated. He lost all his artillery and a thoni=and men, 
but managed to get back into the city with the remainder. De Levi 
then begun a siege, and Murray's condition was becoming desperate 
when a British squadron, with re-enforcemcnts and supplies, appeared. 
Supposing it to be the whole British fleet, De Levi withdrew and fled 
to Montreal, after losing most of his shipping. Vaudreuil gathered all 
his forces at ^Vfontreal, the lyst strongiiold of French dominion in 
America. Andierst spent the wliole summer in preparations for an 
attack upon that v.hy. Ilis movements M'erc slow but sure. With 
almost ten thousand men and one thousand Indians under Sir William 
Johnson he proceeded to Oswego, crossed Lake Ontario, went down 
the St. Lawrence, and appeared before Montreal on September (ith. 
He had captured Fort Presentation, at the mouth of the Oswegatchie 
River (now Ogdensburg), on liis way. Murray arrived from Quebec at 
noon the same day with four thousand troops, and before niglit Colonel 
Ilaviland, wlio liad proceeded from Crown Point and had driven the 
French from Isle aux Noix, arrived there with three thousand men. 

Surrounded by almost seventeen tliousand foes, Vaudreuil at once 
capitulated, and on the 8th Montreal and all Canada passed into 
the possession of the British crown. General Gage was apjiointed 
governor-general at Montreal, and ]\lurray, with his four thousand 
troops, garrisoned Quebec. Fort Detroit was yet in possession of 
tlie French. Major Robert Rogers* was sent with some rangers 

* Robert Kogers, a famous partisan soldier in tho French and Indian War. was born at 
Duniliartou, N. II., about 1730, and died in England in 17!S0. His fatlier was from 
Irelanil, and an early settler of Dumbarton. Hobcrt w;is in command of a corps of 
ranirers during the French and Indian War. and did gallant service. In 1758 he fought 
a bloody battle with the French and their Indian allies in Northern Xew York. He had 
170 men ; the French, 700, including (iUO Indians. After losing 130 men he retreated, 
leaving 150 of his enemies dead on the field. In 1759 General Amherst .sent him to de- 
stroy the Indian village of St. Francis, which lie did, killing 200 of the barbarians. In 
1760 he wa-s .sent lo take possession of Detroit and other Western fort-s ceded to Great 
Britain. It was done. Then he went to England, and in 1765 was api)ointed governor 
of Mackinaw. Accused of treasonable designs, lie was .sent to Montreal in irons, tried 
by a court-martial, and w;is acquitted. In 1769 he again went to England, and was 
graciously received by the king. Kecoming linancially embarrassed, he went to Algiers, 
where he fought two battles for the Dey. He rettn-ned to America, and at the oiwning 
of the war for independence his course was so suspicious that he was arrested by order of 
Congress, and released on parole. In 1776 Wa.shington, suspecting him of iK-iiig a spy, 
arrested him. Congress soon released him, when he openly took up arms for the crown, 
and raised a corp of Loyalists, which he called the " Queen's Rangers." lie soon went 
to England, leaving them in command of IJeutenant-Colonel Simcoe, under whom they 
became a famous partisiin corps. In 1776 JIajor Rogers published, in London, "' .Journals 
of the French War. ' ' 



WORK OF THE ENGLISH-AMERICAN COLONISTS. 



185 



to take possession of it, wliicli was accomplished at the close of 
November. 

This conquest and the treaty signed at Paris early in ITi);-! deprived 
France of all her territorial posses- 
sions in North America. Great Britain 
soon became the sole po.ssessor of the 
Continent from the Gulf of Mexico 
to the Arctic seas and from ocean to 
ocean, but at a cost during her sev- 
eral struggles of fully 8500,000,000 
and many thousand precious lives. 

During many long and gloomy 
years the colonists had struggled up, 
unaided and alone, from feebleness to 
strength. They had erected forts, 
raised armies, and fought battles cheer- 
fully for England's glory and their 
own preservation without England's 
aid and often without her sympathy.* 
During the French and Indian War, 
the turmoil of which in America 
was now ended, did they cheerfully 
tax themselves and contribute men, 
money, and provisions. They lost 
during that war 2.5,000 robust men on 
land, and many seamen. That war 
cost the colonists, in the aggregate, 
fully 820,000,000, besides the flower 

of their youths ; and in return Parliament granted them, at diiferent 
times during the contest, only about 85,500,000. And yet the British 
Ministry, in 1760, while the colonists were so generously supporting 
the power and dignity of the realm, regarded them as mere servile sub- 
jects to the king, and imposed a tax upon them to replenish the exhausted 
British Treasxiry. 

A dangerous movement, known as " Pontiac's Conspiracy," immedi- 
ately followed the war — a conspiracy planned by Pontiac, a powerful, 




MAJOR ROBERT ROGERS. 

(From a print published in London in 1776.) 



* When, on the floor of the British House of Commons, Charles Townsheud, speaking 
of the English- American colonists, said : " They have been planted by our care, nourished 
by our indulgence, and protected by our arms," Colonel Barre retorted : "No ; your 
oppression planted them in America ; they grew by your neglect ; and they have nobly 
taken up arms in your dtfence." 



18G Tin: i:.MI'II!F. STATE. 

say.icious, and aiiiliitions Ottowa chief, wiio eucccefled in confederatin<j 
several Ali;on(iiiiii triiies for tlie purpose of crusliiug tlic ncwly-ac(piired 
British i)0\ver westward of tlio Niaj^ara liiver.* It was an echo of the 
French and Indian "War. It was ripe hefore its growtli was even sus- 
pected. Witliin a fortiiiglit, in tiie sninnier of 1T<)3, all military posts in 
possession of tlie liritish west of Oswego to Lake ^lichigan fell into the 
possession of Pontiac hy treachery or surprise, excepting Forts ^Niagara, 
Pitt, and Detroit. Tiie conspiracy was soon subdued, and the power of 
the hostile tribes was broken. Pontiae; would nut yield, but took refuge 
in the country of the Illinois, where he was treacherously nnirdered by 
one of his own race. 

Licntenant-( Governor DeLaiiccy managed the civil affairs of the province 
of Kew York with wisdom and energy fro(n the death of Sir Dan vers 
O.sborne, in ITJS, until his own sudden death from apoplexy in the 
summer of lTGO,t a period of about seven years. As we have observed, 
Sir Charles Hardy, a naval officer, came to New York as governor in 
iToo, but, more incompetent than Clinton as a civil ruler, he was com- 
pletely dominated by De Lancey. He received his salary, and allowed the 
lieutenant-governor to hold the helm of the ship of State. Sir Ciiarles 
left the jirovince in the summer of 1757, when lie hoisted his flag over 
a naval vessel in the harbor of New York as Hear- Admiral of the Blue, 
and took command in the expedition against Louisbnrg. lie never re- 
turned to the executive chair. 

During the administration of De Lancey important social movements 
had occurred in the city of New York. Allusion has been made to the 

* In April, 176.3, Poutiac called a, council near Detroit of rcpiesentalives of many 
Xorth-AVestern trilx's, and the Seuecas of Western New York. Tliat council presented a 
iray scene. Tlie chiefs were attended by their families, dressed in their fraudiest app.irel. 
Tliey gathered in groups to fea.st, smoke, gamble, and tell stories ; many of them were 
iK'dizened with feathers, beads, and oilier tokens of pride — "young maidens," says 
I'arkman, " radiant with bear's oil and ruddy with vermilion, and versed in all the arts 
of forest coquetry. " The gra>'e men were seated on the ground in council in con.secutivc 
rows, and after the jape had gone round from hand to hand, Pontiac, painted and 
plumed, arose and delivered an impjissioned speech. He displayed in one band a broad 
lielt of wampum, and assured his hearers that it came from llie Fiencli, who would .soon 
come with ships and armies to reconquer Canada. 

f De Lancey was found by one of his cliiklren, on the morning of .July 'MHh. ITIiO, 
dying, in his chair, in his study, in which he had jirobably .sat all night, as he fieciuently 
did, on account of chronic asthma. lie had dined the day before, with a number of lead- 
ing men t)f the jirovince, on Stalen Island, where he indulged, as was common on such 
occasions, in excessive eating and drinking. He returned to his home in the Bowery in 
the evening and retired to his study, from which he never emerged alive. There was an 
ostentatious funeral. Hi.s body was buried beneath the middle aisle of Trinity Churdi, 
the Kev. >Ir. Barclay conducting the funeral services. 



SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IX NEW YORK. 



187 




\ 



neglect of intellectiuil cultivation in tlie province. Leading men liad 

loiiiT de[)lored this state of things, and perceived the danger to society 

whicli might be evolved \>y such 

neglect as population and wealth 

increased. Finally, in 1754, Dr. 

Oadwallader Golden,* James de 

Lancey, Pliilip Livingston, Peter 

Schuyler, Abraham de Peyster, 

Frederick Pliilip.se, "William 

Smith, and others founded the 

Kew York Society Library, now 

one of the noblest of the literary 

institutions of the city. A neg- 
lected germ of sucli an institution 

had existed about fifty years. The 

chaplain of Governor Bellomont 

(Jacob Sharp) gave to the city, in 

IT'lO, a collection of books to which 

was afterward added many more 

by the Rev. John Millington, of 

England. It formed the Corporation Library ; but the books were 

neglected and nearly forgotten. "When the Society Library was formed, 

these books were added to it. 

At the same period an effectual movement was made for the foun- 
dation of a college in the 
city of Xew York. There 
were then few collegians 

.- , - . _ ^^^ ^ in the province. For 

V / ^ — many years Mr. De Lan- 

siGNATruE OK TADWALLADER coLDEx. ccy and Williaui Smith, 

the elder, were the only 

"academics," excepting those in holy orders; and at the time in 

question there wei'e only thirteen others, the youngest of whom had his 



CAUWALLAUEK COLDEX. 




^^. 




* Cadwallader Colden was a physician and a native of Scotland, where he wa.s born 
in 1688. He emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1T08, returned to Scotland, and came back to 
America in ITlli. Two years later he made the pro\iuce of Xew York his residence at 
tlie request of Governor Hunter, and was appointed surveyor-general of the colony. In 
1720 lie became a member of Governor Burnet's Council, and made his residence in 
Orange County. He became lieutenant-governor of tlie province in 1761, whicli position 
he occupied during tlie remainder of his life. He died on Long Island in 1770. Through- 
out the troublous times prec(;diiig the Revohiliou, he managed public affairs with great 
sjigacitv. 



188 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

bachelor's degree at tlio age of ses'enteen.* In 174(1 the Assembly 
authorized a h)ttery to raise funds for the establishment of a college. 
Nearly siidOd were thus raised. It was increased in lTi>-i, and King's 
(nowColuml)ia) College was founded and chartered. 

At that time sectarianism was rampant in the province, and there was 
a bitter strife between the Episcopalians, or those of the Church of Eng- 
land, and the Presbyterians, for the control of the college. The aristoc- 
racy were generall}' members of the Episcopal Cluirch, and in tlie contest 
for the control of the college they were victorious. Trinity Churcli 
otTered a site for the college building on tlie condition that the president 
should always be an Episcopalian, and tli;it tlie ])rayers of the CInirch 
should always be used in it. Governor Do Lancey gave it a charter on 
tliese conditions in IT.")-!, but there M-as a liljeral distribution of tlie trustee- 
ship among other denominations. Tlev. William Samuel Johnson, D.D., 
was appointed the first president. f 

Xew York C'ity at that time had a population of about fourteen thou- 
sand, and contained an Episcopal, a Presbyterian, and a French church, 
two German Lutheran cliurches, a Quaker and an Anabaptist meeting- 
house, a Jewish synagogue, and a iJoravian congregation. The Jews 
were disfranchised, and the Moravians were persecuted as Jesuits in dis- 
guise. 

The sectarian controversy at that time was a consequence of a discov- 
ered scheme of Dr. Seeker, Archbisliop of Canterbury, for the establish- 
ment of Episcopacy in the colonies, largely for the purpose of curbing the 
Puritan spirit in political and religious affairs. The throne and the 
hierarchy were, in a sense, mutually dependent, and Dr. Seeker's propo- 
sition was warmly supported by the British Cabinet. It was as warmly 
opposed by the Dissenters and all independent thinkers in the colonies. 

* These collegians were Peter van Brugli Livingston, John I^ivingston, Philip Living- 
ston, AVillianj Livingston, "William Nicoll, Benjamin Xieoll, Henry Hansen, William 
Peartrec Smith, Benjamin Woolsey, William Smith, Jr. (the historian), John McEvers, 
mill .Tolin van Horner. 

I William Samuel Johnson, D.I),, was born in Ouilford, Conn., in 1G96, and was sixty 
years of age when he became piesident of King's College. He was a graduate of Yale 
in 1714, and wjis a tutor there for a while. In 1730 he l)eeame a preacher at West Haven, 
and went to England in 1722 to receive Episcopal ordination. He returned in 1723 with 
the honor of the degree of M.,\., conferred at O.xford. He settled in Stratford, but was pir- 
•sccuted l)v the other sects there. He left the place, and was absent several j-ears ; engaged 
much in literary pursuits, preparing, among other usefid works, a Sj/stem of Jforality, 
which Dr. Franklin published as a text-lwok for the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. 
Johnson was a man of great learning. He resigned in 1763, and returned to Stratford 
the same year. There, resuming the charge of his old jiarish, he lived until his death in 
Januarv, 1772. 



AX AUlJlTRATiY ACT OF THE HOME GOVERNMENT. 189 

TLe latter regarded the scheme as a weapon of coiitempLited tyranny. 
Tiien was kindled the flame of desire in the hearts of a vast number of 
English- Ameriuans to have 

" A Church without a Bishop, 
A Throne without a King," 

•which burned so fiercely a few years later.* 

Dr. Golden, the President of the Coaneil, and then seTontj'-three 
years of age, became acting governor on the death of De Lancey, and soon 
received the appointment of lieutenant-governor. He was continued in 
that office about sixteen years, and, in consequence of the frequent ab- 
sence of the governors, was repeatedly at the head of public affairs. 

On the death of De Lancey the office of chief-justice became vacant. 
Golden was urged to appoint an incumbent at once. Wishing to com- 
pliment the Earl of Halifax, the Secretary of State for the colonies, 
Golden asked him to nominate a candidate for chief-justice. To the 
amazement and indignation of the Xew York Assembly and the people, 
instead of a nom.inatioti there came an appoiiiiment to the office by the 
king of a Boston lawyer named Pratt. He was not appointed, as formerly, 
to hold the office '' during good behavior,'' but " at the pleastire of the 
kino;.'' This was one of the first of the arbitrarv acts of vouno- George 
III., who had just ascended the throne, which drove the colonies to re- 
bellion. Indeed, the New York Assembly rebelled at that time. They 
resolved that while judges held office by such a tenure, and were mere 
instruments of the royal will, they would grant them no salaries. Golden 
found himself in trouble at the very beginning. 

The authorities of Jsew York had a long and serious quarrel with the 
iidiabitants of the territory of the (present) State of Vermont at this 
period. After the settlement of the boundary-line between New York 
and Gonnecticut mentioned in a former chapter, the l^oundary be- 
tween New York and Massachusetts was tacitly fixed on a line parallel 
to that of the former, and permanently so in 1764. Governor Penning 
Wentworth assumed that a line parallel to that of the western boundary 
of Connecticut was the true boundary of his own province. Having 

* The cliief conti'ovorsialist on the side of tlio Dissenters was William Livingston, 
afterward Go\X'rnor of New Jersey, and then a young lawyer of much repute. He dealt 
heavy blows against Episcopacj' and in favor of Presbyterianism in a weekly publieatiou 
called the Indepemh'nt Reflector, first issued late in 17.52. He began his assaults on Epis- 
copacy in 1T53 behind the veil of anonymitj'. His language was bold and defiant, but 
dignified and unexceptionable. The influence of the civil authority, the Episcopal 
clergy, and the aristocracy at length induced the printer to cease printing the Reflector, 
and with its tifty-socond number (November, 1753) it was discontinued. 



190 THE KMPTRK STATK. 

autliority to issue grants of unoccupied lands within liis province, lie gave 
inanj' patents to settlers west of the Connecticut River. 

The New York iuitlioritie.s, who had ac(juieseed in the boundaries of 
Connecticut and iMassachusetts, now claimed territorial jurisdicticjn north 
of Massachusetts, eastward to the Connecticut River, by virtue of the 
original grant given to the Duke of York. Regardless of tliis claim, 
"Wentworth i.ssued a patent for a township si.\ miles square, whicii was 
named BenningtoJi. This brouglit the question of jurisdiction to an 
issue. Xew York vehemently .isserted its claim ; Wentworth paid no 
attention to it ; and wlien tiie French and Indian War broke out, he had 
issued patents for fourteen townships west of the Connecticut River. 

The dispute was renewed after the war, and when, in 17()3, Lieu- 
tenant-(iovernor Colden sent a proclamation among tlie people in tliat 
region declaring the Connecticut River to be the eastern boundary of 
the i)rovince of Xew York, Wentwortli liad created one hundred and 
thirty-eigiit townsliips tlie size of Bennington west of tlie Connecticut. 
They occupied a greater portion of the area of the (present) State of Ver- 
mont, and were called " Tlie Xew ITauipshire Grants"' from tliat time. 

The authorities of X'ew York, inspired l)y grasping land speculators, 
not content with asserting territorial jurisdiction, claimed the right of 
property in t!ie soil of tliat territory, and declared Wentwortlf s patents 
to settlers invalid. The crown continued these claims, and orders were 
issued for the survey and sale of farms in the possession of settlers who 
had paid for and improved them. This act of oppression was like sow- 
ing dragons' teeth to see them produce a crop of armed men. The set- 
tlers cared not who were their political masters so long as their private 
rights were respected. But this act of injustice converted them into 
rebelli(nis foes, determined and defiant. There appeared at once an op- 
position not only of words, but of sinews and muskets, supi)orted by 
indomitable courage and inflexible wills — the spirit of true English lib- 
erty coming down to tliem through their Puritan ancestors. Foremost 
among those wlio took a firm stand in opposition to the oppressors was 
Ethan Allen, the boldest of the bold. 

Finally the governor and Council of Xew York summoned all tlic 
claimants under the grants of Xew Hampshire to appear before them at 
Albany, with their deeds, on a certain day. Xo attention wa^ paid to the 
summons. Y\'rits were issued for the ejectment of the settlers from 
their estates, and surveyors were sent to resurvey tlie lands. This move- 
ment brought on a crisis, and for several years the Xew Hampshire 
grants formed a theatre where all the elements of civil war excepting 
actual carnage were in exercise. ^Magistrates, police, and armed citi- 



THE XEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS. 191 

zens were constantly vigilant, and when an officer of tlie Government or 
of the land speculators of Xew York appeared he was seized and pun- 
ished by whipping or other severity, and was driven out of the domain. 
No legal process could be served, nor the sentence of any court estab- 
lished there by Js^ew York be carried out. The settlers effectively 
spurned the bribes and the threats of the Xew Yorkers. 

The settlers sent an agent to London to lay their case before the 
crown. He returned in 1767 with a royal order directing the govern- 
ment of Xew York to suspend all proceedings against the people of the 
'■ Grants ;" but very little attention was paid to the royal mandate. In 

1770 the settlers appointed a Committee of Safety to manage public 
affairs. They commissioned Ethan Allen colonel commandant, and in 

1771 they passed a resolution that no officer from Xesv York should be 
allowed to exercise any jurisdiction over the people of the " Grants" in 
any capacity without permission from the committee. 

In 1772 Governor Trvon attempted conciliation, but failed. Tlie 
Legislature of Xew York passed a law that any offender against its 
ant])ority on the '" Grants" who should not surrender on the order of 
tlie governor within a specified time should be deemed guilty of a 
felony and punished with death, "without benefit of clergy," such 
culprit to be tried for the crime in the county of Albany. A reward 
was offered for the apprehension of Allen and other leaders. 

This harsh legislation did not alarm the settlers, and the struggle con- 
tinued sharply until the beginning of the old war for independence. It 
was kept up in a mild form during that war, and afterward until the 
admission of Vermont into the Union, in 1791, a period of forty years. 
The defenders of the rights of the people of the '' Grants" acquired the 
name of " Green Mountain Boys." * Allen and other leaders, as well 
as the '• rank and file,"' played a conspicuous part in the war for inde- 
pendence. 

The story of the conflict between the government of a powerful prov- 
ince against a few settlers on disputed territory forms one of the most 
interesting chapters in our national history. 

* On account of the loftiest hills in that region being covered with verdure, the name 
of YfTt iloiit — Green Mountain — was given to it. In the conflicts with the " Yorkers," 
some of the settlers were driven from the Champlain slope into the mountains, from 
which they issued for purposes of resistance, and were called " Green Mountain Boys," 



19a 



Tin: K.Mi'iui-: state. 



CilATTKU XIV. 



On the iiiorning of Octol^er 25th, 1700, Prince George, heir-apparent 
to the throne of Greiit Britain, and then abont twenty-three years of 
a<'e, was riding on horseback near Kew Palace with his tutor tiie Earl 

of Bute, when a messenger informed him tliat 
his grandfather. King George II., liad been 
found dead in a closet. Pitt called upon him 
the next day at the palace of St. James and 
presented him with a copy of an address to be 
read to the Privy Council. Tiic minister was 
])olitely inft)rmed that a speech iiad already 
been ])rcpared and every preliminary arranged. 
Pitt j)erceived that the courtier, Bute, had 
made the aiTangements, and he withdrew. 
This circumstance had an important relation to 
the future destiny of the English-American 
colonies, and. particularly of that, of New York, as we shall ol)serve 
presently. 

Robert Munckton, sou of Viscount Galway and a major-general in the 
British army, was ajipointed Governor of New York, l)ut did not occupy 
the chair long. lie arrived in November, ITOl, and in February follow- 
ing he took commaiul of an expedition destined for the capture oi the 




SEAL OF COV. .MUNCKTON. 




SIGNATUHE OF liDVKU.NOlt .MDNCKTON. 



island of Martinique. lie sailed from New York with twelve thousand 
men, was successful, returned to New York the next June, and '' began 
his administration," says Smith, " with a splendor and magniticeuce 
ecpud to his birth." 



THE YOUNG MOXAHCHS GUEAT MISTAKE. 



193 




SEAL OF GOVEUNOK MOOKE. 



General Monckton remained in Xew York awhile, and tiien loft the 
government to Golden. Monckton \^as succeeded in office early in 17(54 
])y Sir Henry Moore, a gay, affable, good-natured, and well-bred gentle- 
man. Moore's administration did not begin until late in ITtJS. It 
covered a large portion of a stormy period in the history of Xew York. 
Sir Henry left tJie province in 1T<)9, when 
Golden again assumed the reins of govern- 
ment. 

The young king on his accession had 
jiarted with Pitt as his chief adviser, and, 
as we have just observed, made the Earl of 
Bute, a Scotch adventurer and a special 
favorite of the sovereign's mother, prime- 
minister of the realm. Bute proposed to 
bring the American colonies into aJKolute 
subjection to the crown and Parliament. To 
do this effectually it was resolved, in accord- 
ance M'ith the I'ecommondation of the Board of Trade and Plantations, 
to amiul the American charter, to reduce all the American ]irovinces to 
royal governments, and to gain a revenue by collecting duties to be 
imposed upon goods imported into the colonies. 

Among the first movements toward this end was making the judiciary 
of Xew York dependent upon the crown, to which allusion has been 
made. As wo have observed, this act created much alarm and indigna- 
tion in the public mind. " To make 
the king's will the tenure of office," 
said a representative of the people, " is 
to make the bench of judges the in- 
strument of the royal prerogative." 
^Villiam Livingston, John Morin Scott, 
and William Smith, three eminent law- 
yers of New York, expressed their 
opinions freely and protested boldly in 
the newspapers against the measure ; and the Xew York Assendjly 
resolutely refused to grant a salary to Chief-Justice Pratt, who fiiudly 
received it from the crown. Governor Moore disapproved tlie ob- 
noxious measure, and even Governor Goldeu advised against it ; but 
it was persisted in, and the crown continued to appoint judges, paying 
tlieir salaries and making them independent of the people. 

Another cause of popular irritation and resistance was the practical 
assertion of Parliament of its right to tax the colonists without their con- 




VW^ 



^iK;^:AT^;l^E of goveunou mookk. 



194 TlIK i;\II'IKi: STATE. 

sent. Piiticfi were iniiniscd iipoii goods imported into tiie colonies, and 
collectors of customs were sent to enforce tlie revenue laws. Tliese laws 
were frequently resisted or evaded, especially at liostoii. The Superior 
Court of Miissaclnisetts gave the collectors M-arrants, called " Writs of 
Assistance." which authorized the holders to search for smuggled goods 
when and wlicre they pleased, and to diMuand assistance from others. 
'* The jneanest dejnity of a deputy's deputy" niigiit enter the house of a 
citizen xinchallenged. Tiie people regarded the matter as a violation of 
their lil)ertics — a violation of the English maxim, " Every man's house 
is his castle." A solemn protest produced an argument before a crowded 
meeting of citizens in Boston, when the fiery James C)tis vehemently 
denounced the writs, and said : 

" I have determined to sacrilice estate, ease, health, applause, and even 
my life to the sacred call of my country in opposition to a kind of power, 
the exercise of which cost one king his licad and another his throne." 
'' On that day," said a contemporary, " the trumi)et of the Revolution 
was sounded." 

Then foHowed the fearful popular agitation in tiie colonies caused hy 
the famous Stamp Act, in w liiili >.'ew York appeared conspicuous — an 
act which declared that no legal instrument used in the colonies should 
be valid, after a prescribed date, uidess it bore a government stamp, for 
each of which a prescribed sum of money, varying in amount from three 
cents to thirty dollars, was demanded. With greater boldness or reck- 
lessness than any former minister had exhibited, George Grenville, at 
the head of the Treasury and the ablest man in the House of Commons, 
submitted a bill authorizing stamp duties early in 17()4. Even the great 
minister, Walpole, had said, many years before, " I will leave the tax- 
ation of America to some of my successors who have more courage than 
I have;" and the greater Pitt said, in IT."*',), "I will never burn my 
fingers with an American Stamp Act." 

This proposed meiisure caused universal excitement in the colonies. 
The people were divided. The old English titles of " AVhig" and 
" Tory" now first came into use in America. The great (piestion was 
freely discussed at pid)lic gatherings. The pulpit sometimes sounded an 
alarm. The newspaper press spoke out boldly. " If the colonist is 
taxed without his consent, he will, perhaps, seek a change," said Holt's 
Ji'cio York Gdsi'fte, sigiuficantly. 

Nowhere did the flame of resentment burn more fiercely than in New 
York, and nowhere were its manifestations more emphatic. Colden, 
the acting governor, then seventy-seven years of age, true to his sover- 
eign, endeavored to suppress all opposition to the acts of the imperial 



THE STAMP ACT OPPOSED. 



195 



legislature ; Ijnt his efforts were like a breatli against a gale. The as- 
sociation of the Sons of Liiierty, which had appeared thirty years 
before, was revived with great vigor,* and a Committee of Correspond- 
ence to communicate with the agent of the colony in England and with 




K(J1!T GEOHGE, UATTEKY, ANU BUWLIMJ GKEEN.f 



the several colonial assemblies on the subject of the oppressive measures 
of Parliament was appointed. 

When, in the spring of 1765, the Stamp Act became a law, words of 
defiance were uttered everywhere in the colonies. Energetic action soon 
followed. Pul)lic sentiment took a more dignified form than popular 

* The principal members of the Association in the province of New Yoric at that time 
were Isaac Sears, John Lamb, Alexander MacDougal, Marinus Willett, William Wiley, 
Edward Laight, Thomas Robinson, Hugh Hughes, Floris Baucker, Charles Nicoll, 
.loseph Allcock, and Gershom Mott, of New York City ; Jeremiah van Rensselaer, 
Mvndert Rosenbaum, Robert Henry, Volkert P. Douw, Jelles Fonda, and Thomas Young, 
of Aibau}' and Tryon counties ; John Sloss Hobart, Gilbert Potter, Thomas Brush, Cor- 
nelius Conklin, and Nathan Williams, of Huntington, L. I. ; George Townsend. Baruk 
Sneething, Benjamin Townsend, George and Michael Weekes, and Rowland Cliambers, 
of Oyster Bay, L. I. 

f From an engraving by Tiebout in 1792. Within thi' Bowling Green is seen the 
Iiodistal on whieli stood the equestrian statue of King George HI. The spear-heads of 
the [tickets, as may now (1B8T) be seen, were all broken off. On the right is No. I Broad- 
way, the headquarters of General Sir Henry Clinton. On the left is seen a point of Gov- 
ernor's Island ; on the right, in the distancM;, is Statcn Island, and in the extreme distance 
the Narrows, the open gateway from the harbor to the ocean. 



ll»i; lllK KMIMKK STATE. 

li;ir.iiitr»c\< and heutoil iliscussions. At tlie suirijcstion of tlie Massacliu- 
setts AsstMiibU- a colonial convention of tlulcipites assembled at the city 
of New York on October Tth, 17t!."). Nine colonies were represented 
by twenty-seven delegates. Those of New York were Robert U. Living- 
ston. John Crnger, Philip Livingston. William Bayard, and Leonard 
Lispenard. Timothy Kuggles, of ^Lissachnsetts, presided. T'ley were 
in session fourteen days, and sent forth three able State papers — namely, 
a " Declaration of Kights." written by dohn Cruger, of New York ; a 
" ilemorial to both llonses of Parliament," by lJol>ert 11. Livingston, 
also of New York ; and a '* Petition to the King." written by James 
Otis, of Massachnsetts. Tlie proceedings of this Stamp Act Congress 
were approved and signed by all the members excepting Timothy 
liugglis. of ^lassachnsetts, and Robert Ogden. of New Jersey, who 
espoused the cause of the crown in the great struggle that ensued. 

The tii-st day of November (1765) was the time appointed for the 
Stamp Act to go into opei-.ition. Stamp-distributors for their sale weiv 
appointed. James ^[cEvei-s had been chosen the agent for New York. 

The Sons of Liberty demanded his resignation. Colden promised him 
protection ; but when the stamps arrived, late in November, McEvers 
was so alarmed by the manifestations of opposition that ho refused to 
receive them, and they were taken into the fort for sjifety, where the 
venerable Colden resided. The people were exiisperated, and appearing 
in large numbers before the fort, demanded the delivery of the stamps 
to them. A refusal was answered by detiant shouts by the Sous of 
Liberty, who were not dismayed by the presence of British ships of war 
in the harbor and the pointing of the cannons of the fort upon them and 
upon the town. 

An orderly proeession was formed. It soon became a roaring mob. 
Half an hour after the governor's refus;d he was liuug in etligy on the 
spot where Leisler, the democrat, was executed seveuty-tive years before. 
Then the mob went back to the fort, dnigged Oolden's tine coach * to 
the open space in front of it, and tearing down the wooden railing that 
surrouudeil the Rowling Green, piled it upon the vehicle and made a 
bonfire of the whole. After committing some other excesses,+ the 



' (.oKkii ~ nMcli-luHiso ami staMo \Mr\.' outsulf tiu- fort ami I'iisy of aiivss. Tlun' 
woiv only thnv or four iwichos iu Iho city at that time, ami iis thi-y Ivlouji^tl to woaltliy 
friends of Goverumeut, they were (.■ousiiler<.>l by the people as evidencts of aristocnilie 
pride. 

\ The n\ob ru.-Ou\l i>ut to the Ivautiful seat of Major Janu-s. at the iutersoctioii of 
(pu-si-ut) Worth Olivet and West Brojulway. when.' they destroyetl his tine library, works 
of art and rich furuiture, and desolatwl his eharniini: sranleu. His seat was named 



NON-IMl'nl{IAI'l(i\ AGREEMENTS. 111?" 

cxcit('(l jiDpuLico [i;n'M(l('il the streets witli t\\v. Stain|) A<'t |)riMteil dii 
large slicets and raised upon [idU^s, with tlie words, " England's Foi.ly 
AND Amkkica's Ruin." 

('olden, clearly [jore-eiviiiy that lurtlicr resistances to the popuhir will 
would lie i'utile, ordered the stanijjs to he delivered to tlu; iHay(ir 
(Cruger) and the Common Council, oh condition that any that should 
he destroyed or lost should he jiaid for. Quiet was restored. Soon 
.ifterward ahrig hrought to New York ten hoxes of stamps. They were 
seized hy some citizens and liurnt at the shijiyard at the foot of (present) 
Catharine Street. 

Tiio first of Novend)er was Friday — a truly " hlack Friday" in 
America. It was ushered in by the tolling of bells and this display of 
flags at half-mast, as if a national calamity had occurred. Minute-guns 
were flred. There were orations and sermons adapted to the occasion. 
As none hut stamped paper could be legally used, and as the people were 
determined not to use it, all business was suspended. Tiio courts were 
closed, marriages ceased, and social and conunercial operations in 
America were jiaraiyzed. Yet the jioople did not despair, nor even 
despond. They felt conscious of rectitude aud of iidierent strength. 
They held in their own hands a remedy, anrl very soon applied it 
effectually. 

On tlie day before the Stamp Act was to take eiTect many mercliants 
in New York City, at a meeting held there, entered into a solemn agree- 
ment not to imjioi't from England certain cnuiiicrated articles after the 
first of January next ensuing. The chairman of an at^tive coiTimitteo of 
correspondence (Jolm I.andV) addressed a circuhir letter to the nier(diants 
in other cities, inviting tlieir co-operation in tlu; non-importation policy. 
It was cheerfully acceded to, and merchants great and small followed 
the exain])le of Now York traders. The patriotic ])eople co-operateil 
with tlie merchants, and began domestic manufactures. Tlie wealthiest 
vied with the middling classes in wearing clothing of their own numn- 
facture. That wool might not become scarce, the use of sheep llesh for 
food was discouraged. 

The nughty forces for defence against oppression, which for years 
worked so potentially in favor of liberty in America, tiius put in motion 
in New York, hurled back upon England with great power the commer- 
cial miseries which she had inflicted upon her colonies. The most sensi- 
tive nerve of her political and social organism was so I'udely touched that 

Rancla^'U. .V fi-w months aflcTward it Wius conviTlcd ink) a ])la<<! of public resort, and 
callccl the Kaiiclaiili (laiilcn. Junies was a ]5ritisli olliccr who liail bcconic ohno.xioiis to 
Ihi' lu'oplc. 



^'J8 



THK KMPIKE STATE. 



the British merchants and manufacturers earnestly joined the Americans 
in efforts to com|)el tiie Govcrniiient to repeal the obnoxious act. Tliev 
were successful. The Stanq) Act was repealed early in ITtJti, having 
■ existed in a helpless state one year. In the words of a couplet upon the 
-tombstone of a little bal)v, it might have iisked, 

" If I so soon iiiii (lone for, 
I wonder wliat I was Ix-irun for?" 

To Xcw York merchants is due the honor of having invented those 
two ])owerfuI engines of resistance to obnoxioiis acts of the British 




BUnNS S COFFEE-IIOISE.* 

Parliament, and which worked with so nnich potency at the beginning 
of the old war for independence — namely, the Committee of Corre- 
spondence and the Non-im])ortation League. The repeal of the Stamp 
Act caused great rejoicings on both sides of the Atl:)ntic. The city 
of New York was tilled with deliitht on the beautifid !Mav dav when 



* This was a famous place of resort for the Sons of Liberty in New York for sev- 
eral years hefore I he old war for independence. It was a cofTee-house kept by George 
Burns, at No. 9 Broadway. There the first nonimportation league of the nierehauts of 
!New York was formed, on October 31st, 176.T — a consequence of the olino.xious Stamj) 
Act. The league was signed by more than two liundred merchants. The alwve engrav- 
ing shows the house as it ajipeared at the time of that occurrence. It riinained a place 
of public resort until about 1S61). Broadway slopes a little at that point. 



RE.TOICIXGS AXD LOYALTY. 



199 



the glad tidings arrived. Cannons thundered a royal salute, bells rang 
out nierrv peals, and the Sons of Liberty feasted together. A month 
later, on the king's birthday (June ithi, tlier^ was another public cel- 
ebration, given under the auspices of Governor Moore, when royal 
salutes were again tired. There was a banquet at the King's Arms 
Tavern, near the Bowling Green, in which all the magnates of the city 
participated. Again the Sons of Liberty feasted together ; and in 
the Fields (now the City Hall Park) an ox was roasted whole, and 
twenty-live barrels of beer and 
a hogshead of rum were pro- 
vided for the people. The 
town was illuminated in the 
evening, and bonfires blazed, 
while the heavens were made 
brilliant with fireworks. The 
people erected a tall mast and 
unfurled a banner, upon it in- 
scribed, " The Kixg, Frrr, and 
Liberty," and called it Liberty 
Pole. 

Pitt, who had been the chief 
instrument in Parliament in 
securing the repeal, was idol- 
ized by the people. At a 
meeting of citizens (June 23d) 
a petition was unanimously 
signed praying the Provincial 
Assembly to erect a statue in 
lionor of the " Great Com 
moner" in the city of New 
York. The Assembly complied, 
and at the same time voted an 

equestrian statue of the king. Both were set up in 1770, that of Pitt 
being of marble, and that of the king lead. Pitt's statue was erected at 
the junction of Wall and William (then Smith) streets ; the king's was set 
up in the centre of the Bowling Green.* Six years afterward the statue 
of the king was pulled down by an indignant populace, and a little later 
British soldiers mutilated the statue of Pitt. 

* By a singular oversight the artist omitted to give the king's saddle stirrups, as will 
be seen in the sketch. Tlie Whigs of Xew York said, in 1776, " Good enough for him ; 
he ought to ride a hard-trotting horse without stirrups." 




EQUESTRIAN 8T.\TUE OK GEOHOE III. 



200 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

Po|3ular discontent soon followed the hallelujahs of joy, for the repeal 
act was accompanied l>_v aiiotlier wliich declared that the British Parlia- 
ment had the right to '' liind the colonies in all cases whatsoever." 
Sagacious men clearly saw in this declaratory act an egg of tyraimy con- 
cealed, out of which might proceed untold evils. Events soon justified 
their forecast. The incul)ation was not protracted. 

Almost at the moment when the people were celebrating the king's 
l)irthday in a si)irit of hearty loyalty, Governor Moore informed the 
Xew York Assemldy, then in session, that he hourly exj^ected troops 
from England to garrison the fort there, and desired them to make 
immediate provision for them, in accordance with the requirements of 
the British ]\rutiny Act, which commanded citizens to hillet troops upon 
themselves when necessity called for the measure. The Assembly 
declared that the power of the act did not extend to tlie colonies, and 
that there was no necessity for more troops at !Xew York. The gov- 
ernor persisted, but the ^issembly were tirm in their refusal to comply 
with his requisition. 

The troops came with authority to l)reak into houses in searching for 
deserters, and to do other arbitrary things. The people were indignant. 
The Sons of Liberty were aroused to vigorous action. They rallied 
around the Liberty Pole which they had erected under the inspiration of 
true loyalty to their sovereign. The insolent soldiers cut down the 
symbol of liberty, and when, the next day, the citizens were setting it 
up again they were attacked by the troops. Still another ]tole w;is 
erected, and Governor Moore forl)ade the soldiers to touch it. 

In January, ITT'l, soldiers went out from the barracks at midnight, 
prostrated the Liberty Pole, sawed it into pieces, and piled them before 
the headquarters of the Sons of Liberty. The bells of St. George's 
Chapel in Beektnan Street rang an alarm, and very soon fully three 
thousand indignant citizens stood around the mutilated flag-staff. The 
city was fearfully agitated for several days, and affrays between the citizens 
and soldiers occurred. Finally tlicy had a severe encounter on C^olden 
Ilill (between Cliff and "William, John and Fulton streets), in which the 
soldiers were worsted and several of them were disarmed. The citizens 
were armed with various missiles. The conflict on Golden Hill in New 
York City may be regarded as the initial battle of the old war for inde- 
pendence. 

The New York Assembly steadily refused to comply with the require- 
ments of the Mutiny Act. The press spoke out boldly. William 
Livingston wrote prophetically in a New York newspaper : 

" Courage, Americans I Lil)erty, religion, and science are on the 



EISrSLAVE>IEXT OF THE COLONIES ATTEMPTED. V'Dl 

wing to these shores. The linger of God points out a iniglity ennnre to 
your sons. The savages of the wilderness were never e.xpelled to make 
room for idolaters and slaves. The land we possess is the gift of Heaven 
to our fathers, and Divine Providence seems to have decreed it to our 
latest posterity. The day dawns in which the foundation of this mighty 
empire is to be laid, by the establishment of a regular American Consti- 
tution. All that has hitherto been done seems little beside the collection 
of materials for this glorious fabric. "Tis time to put them together. 
The transfer of the European family is so vast, and our growth so swift, 
that liefore seven years will roll over our heads tlie first stone must l)e laid.'' 

Seven years afterward the first Continental Congress assembled at 
rhiladelpiiia. 

Tlie rebellious spirit manifested by the Xew Workers amazed and 
incensed the Britisli Ministry, and they resolved to bring the refractory 
Assembly into humble obedience. Parliament forbade (ITfiT) the ''gov- 
ernor, Council, and Asseml)ly of New York passing any legislative act 
for any purpose whatever' ' until they should conijjly with the require- 
ments of the Mutiny Act. Parliament levied duties njjon certain neces- 
sary articles imported into the colonies with the avowed purpose of 
drawing a revenue fi'oni them, and authorized the establishment of a 
Board of Trade, or Commissioners of Customs, to regulate and collect 
the revenue thus ordered. They also attempted to suppress free discus- 
sion in the colonies by means of Committees of Correspondence. 

This last act aroused the free spirit of the people to instant resistance. 
When Governor Moore transmitted to the New York Assembly instruc- 
tions from Lord Iliilsboi'ough against " holding seditious correspondence 
with other colonies," and called upon the Legislature to yield obedience, 
they l)ohlly remonstrated against this ministerial interference with the 
inalienable right of a subject, and refused to obey. 

On the death of Governor Moore, in September, 1769, Colden again 
became acting governor, when he coalesced politically with tlie De 
Lancey party. Very soon a gradual change in the political complexion 
of the Provincial Assembly was apparent. The leaven of aristocracy 
liad begun a transformation, and a game for political power, based upon 
a proposed financial scheme, was begun.* It was a scheme which 
menaced the liberties of the people. 

* This was issuing bills of credit, on tlie security of the province, to the amount of 
$300,000, to be loaned to the people, the interest to be applied to defrayinj,' the expenses 
of the colonial government. It was really a proposition for a monster bank without 
check.s, and intended to cheat the people into a compliance with the requirements of the 
Mutiny- Act by the indirect method of applying tlie profits to that purpose. 



202 THE E.MPIKE h^TATE. 

The popular leaders, discerning the danger, sounded the alarm. An 
incendiar}- hand-hill, signed '' A Son of Lihertv,"' was posted throngh- 
out the city, calling a meeting of the " hetrajed inhahitants" in the 
■ Fields. It denounced the money scheme and the Assembly, and 
pointed to the ])olitical coalition as an omen of danger. Obedient to 
the call, a verv larire concourse of citizens leathered around the Libertv 
I'lile on a cold December day, who, after a harangue by John Lamb, 
1>V unanimous vote condemned the proceedings of the Assembly. 
Another hand-bill from the same pen appeared the next day, and more 
severely denounced the Assembly in terms which were deemed libel- 
lous. A reward was offered for the name of the author. lie was 
soon found to be Alexander McDougal, a seaman, who was afterward 
a major-general in the Continental Army. He was arrested, and re- 
fusing to plead or give bail, was sent to prison. On his way to jail he 
said : 

" 1 rejoice that I am the first to suffer for liberty since the commence- 
ment of our glorious struggle." 

Being a sailor, McDougal was regarded as the " true type of impris- 
oned commerce ;" also as a mart^'r to the cause of liberty. Ilis prison 
was daily the scene of a ])ul)lic reception. The most respectable citizens 
visited liim. Tie was toasted at a l)an(]uet of the Sons of Liberty, who 
went in a procession to the jail to visit him. Ladies of distinction daily 
thronged there. Popular songs were written and sung below his prison- 
bars, and emblematic swords were worn. He was finally released on 
bail, and he was never tried. 

Open rebellion in the colonies now seemed imminent. British soldiers 
were stationed in 2sew York and Boston to overawe the people. Their 
insolence in words and manner produced continual irritation. There 
was a collision in Boston on March 5th (1770) between the citizens and 
soldiers, which aroused the indignation of all the colonies. Three 
persons were killed by the soldiers, and five were dangerously wounded. 
This event is known in Iiistory as the Boston Massacre. 

On the day of the massacre the British ])rime-minister (Lord !North) 
introduced into Parliament his famous Tea Act, which repealed 
all duties imposed upon articles imported into the American colonies, 
excepting upon tea. This one article was excepted as a i)ractical asser- 
tion that Parliament had a right to tax the Americans without their con- 
sent. But this was the substance of the vital principle involved in the 
dispute, and the grand political postulate, " Taxation without representa- 
tion is tyranny," was vehemently asserted. Tlie non-importation power 
was set in motion, and the people warndy co-operated by refusing to 



THE POLITICAL ASPECT OF NEW YOKK. 



203 




SEAI, OP GOVERNOR DUNMORE. 



use tea.* The stubborn king and the stupid ministry could not conipre- 
liend tlie idea involved, that a tax upon a single article, however small, 
was as much a violation of the spirit and letter of tlie postulate as if laid, 
in oppressive measure, upon a dozen articles. 

^Meanwhile tlie leaven of Torjism in the Assembly had extended its 
intluence among t!ie people. The Sons of Liberty in Xew Yorlc had 
formed a General Committee of One Hun- 
dred and a Vigilance Committee of Fifty, 
charged with the duty of watching the 
movements of the Whigs and Tories, and 
preventing, if jJossible, violations of the non- 
importation agreement. Tlie Committee 
of One Hundred became widely disaffected 
by Toryism. Tlie Vigilance Committee, 
more radical, denounced them, and the 
patriotic citizens of Xew England uttered 
indignant protests, but in vain. The New 
York merchants at large became disaffected, 
and at midsummer, 1770, the Committee 

of One Hundred, composed largely of merchants, resolved upon a 
resumption of importations of everything but tea. They issued a 
circular letter justifying their course. It was indignantly torn and scat- 
tered to the winds in Boston. The merchants of Philadelphia received 
it with scorn, and tlie sturdier patriots of that city said : " The old 

Liberty Pole of New York ought to be 
transferred to this city, as it is no longer 
a rallying-point for the votaries of free- 
dom at home." The students at Prince- 
ton College, with James Madison at their 
head, burned the letter on the cam- 
pus. 

In October (1770) John Murray, Earl 

of Dunmore, succeeded Sir Henry Moore 

as Governor of New York. He remained 

such for only about nine months, when he was succeeded by Sir William 

Tryon, an Irish baronet, who had misruled North Carolina and stirred up 

a rebellion there. The Assembly, now thoroughly imbued with Tory- 




m^if^ 




S^ICNATUUE OF GOV. DUXMORE. 



* In Boston the mistresses of tlirce hundred families subscribed their names to a league, 
bindinj: themselves not to drink any tea until the Revenue Act was repealed. Three 
days afterward the young women followed their example. It was imitated in New "iork 
and Philadelphia. 



204 



THK KMI'IUK STATK. 




SEAL OF (;(J\T:KNI)U TItYON. 



18111, cniiipliiiicnted the retiring governor, wlio was transferred to Vir- 
ginia, and in a most cringing address, written hy Ca])tain Oliver do 
Laiicey, replied to Tryon's opening message, at the beginning of 1772. 

The state of political society in Xcw York 
at this time was pecnliar. Social diSerences 
had prodnced two distinct parties among the 
professed republicans, which were designated 
respectively Patricians and Trilinnes. The 
former consisted chiefly of the merchants and 
gentry, and the latter were mostly mechanics. 
The latter Avere radicals, the former were 
conservatives, and joined the Loyalists or 
Tories, who were trying to check the influ- 
ence of tlie more zealous democrats. 

Comparative quiet had prevailed in !New 
York for nearly three years, when an attempt to enforce North's Tea 
Act set the colonies in a blaze again.* The East India Company, M-hu 
had the monopoly of the tea trade, 
having lost tlieir valuable custom- 
ers in America by the opei'ations 
of the non-importation measures, 
asked Parliament to take otf three 
pence a pound levied upon its im- 
jHirtation into America, and agreed 
to i)ay the Government more thaii 
an equal amount in export duty, 

in case the change should be made. Here was an excellent opportunity for 
tlie Government to act justly and wisely and to produce a reconciliation ; 

* An evpiit occurred in ISiirragansot Bay in the sunimiT of 1772 wliirli inofluced wide- 
spread excitement and widened tlie l)reacli lietween tlic mother country and tlie colonies. 
The armed schooner dnnjie was stationed in the bay to enforce the revenue laws. Her 
eommander haughtily ordered every American vessel when passinir his schooner to lower 
its colors, in token of obedience. The master of a Providence sloop refused to bow to 
this nautical Gcsler's cap, and was fired at and chased by the Gnxpe. The latter 
jrrounded upon a sand-bar. That night Al)raham AVhipiile (who was a naval commander 
(luring the Revolution), with sixty armed men, went down the bay in boats, captured the 
])eople on the schooner and burned lier. Although a large reward wa.s offered for the 
api)rehensioii of the jierpetrators they were not betrayed. Four years afterward, when 
t'aplain Wallace, a Uritish naval eommander near Newport, heard that AVhipiile was the 
leader of the offenders, he wrote to liiin. sjiying : 

" On .lune SItli, 1772, you burned His Jfajesty's vessel the Gtispe, and I will hang you at 
the yard-arm 1" 

To this Whipple instantly replied : " Sir, always catch a man before you liaiig him !" 




SI(:N.\-n:itE OF CiOA"ERNOK TKYON. 



EXCITEMENT COXCERNING TEA. 



205 




l)Ut the stupid ministry, fearing it niiglit be considered a suljniission to 
'• rebellions subjects,"' refused this olive branch. They allowed the 
company to send their tea free of export duty, but retained the import 
duty. 

This concession to a great commercial monopoly, wbile spurning the 
appeals of subjects governed by a great principle, created indignation 
and contempt throughout the colo- 
nies. As this would make tea 
cheaper in America than in Eng- 
land, the (Tovernment and the East 
India Company unwisely concluded 
that the Americans would not ob- 
ject to paying the small duty. They 
were mistaken, as they very soon 
learned. Assured that Governor 
TiTon at Xew York would enforce 
the law, the company sent several 
ships laden with tea to that and 
other American ports early in 1773. 
Already the Americans had re- 
solved not to allow a pound of tea 
to be landed in any of the seaports. 
At a meeting held at Xew York on 

October 20th (1773), it was declared that the tea consignees and stamp 
distributors were equally obnoxious. The consignees, alarmed, prom- 
ised not to receive the tea, notwithstanding Governor Tryon had prom- 
ised them ample protection. The governor declared the tea should be 
delivered to the consignees, even if it should l)e " sprinkled with blood." 

John Lamb (afterward a commander 
of artillery in the war for indepen- 
dence, and one of the foremost of the 
Sons of Liberty; said to his informer 
of these words : "' Tell Tryon, for 
me, that the tea shall not be landed ; 
and if force is attempted to effect it, 
liis blood will be the first shed in the conflict. The people of the city 
are firndy resolved on that head.'' Tryon took counsel of prudence. 

At the middle of December the famous Boston Tea Party occnrred, 
when three hundred and forty-three chests of tea were taken from ships 
moored at the wharves, broken open, and their contents cast into the 
waters of the harbor in the space of two hours, by men disguised as 



.JOHX l.AMB. 




SIGXATCEE OF JOILX I..\_MU. 



sou Illi: KMPIKE STATE. 

Iiuliiins. Tlic next day a meeling was held in tlie Fielils at Xew 
York, wliicli was addressed by Jolm Land).* Strong resolutions in 
favor of resistance were passed ; a (.'omniittee of Fifteen to carry on 
correspondence with the Sons of Liberty elsewhere was appointed, and 
the niecting was adjourned '* till the arrival of the tea ships." 

The ships did not arrive until April following, when the .?ran<:i/. 
Captain Lockyer, appeared at Sandy Hook with a cargo of tea. Apprised 
of the state of feeling in the city, and heeding the advice of the con- 
signee, Lockyer prudently concluded to return to England with his 
cargo. A merchant vessel arrived at about the same time with several 
chests of tea concealed among her cargo. They were discovered, seized, 
and their contents were thrown into the waters of I*Jew York Harbor. 
The captain took refuge from the hands of the indignant people on 
board the Nancij, and sailed away in her. 

At about this time a new Committee of One Ifundred, also a A'igil- 
ance Committee, composed of tiie most substantial citi/cens, who were wise, 
watchful, and active, w;is created. The governor and a majority of the 
Asscnddy, being in political accord, needed watching ; hence tlie forma- 
tion of these two committees. 

A misfortune befell the governor at this juncture wlilcli won fur him 
public sympathy. At near the close of 1773 his house, with all his 
pei-sonal property, was accidentally burned. Tlie Assemlily ^•oted him 
A20,000 in consideration of his loss, and with this money he left the 
])rovincc in charge of Dr. Golden, and went to England in the spring 
of 1774. 

The destruction of tea in Boston Harbor created intense excitement in 
Great Britain. The exasperated ministry conceived several retaliatory 
measures, which were authorized by Parliament, the most conspicuous 
of which was an order for the closing of tiio port of Boston against all 
commercial transactions whatever, and the removal of all public offices 
thence to Salem. This prostration of all kinds of l)usiness occiisioned 
widesjiread distress and created more widesjiread sympathy. Even the 

* John Lamb, an artillery ofTiccT of the Revolution, was born in IvTew York City 
.January 1st, 1735 ; died there May 31st, 1800. He was one of the most active Sons of 
Liberty, and when the old war for intleix-ndenc(! began he entered the military service. 
He was in cdinmanil of the artillery under General Montgomery at the siege of Quelwc, 
where he was wounded and made prisoner. AVitli the rank of major he serveil in the 
regiment of Colonel Knox the next siunmer, and on January 1st, 1777. he was commis- 
sioned a colonel of New York artillery. Lamb performed gootl service throughout the 
war, and ended his militarj' career at- the siege of Yorktown. He afterward iK'came a 
memlxT of the Xew York Assembly. President AVashingtou appoiitted him (1789) 
collector of the customs at the jxirt of New York. 



PREPARATIONS FOR ARMED RESISTAXCE. 207 

city of London, in its corporate capacity, sent aid to the sufferers at 
Boston of the money value of fully $150,000. Another measure levelled 
a deadly blow at the charter of Massachusetts ; another provided for the 
trial, in England, of all persons charged in the colonies with murder 
committed in support of the Government, giving, as Colonel Barre said 
on the floor of Parliament, " encouragement to military insolence already 
insupportable." A fourth provided for the quartering of troops at the 
expense of the colonies. The port of Boston was to be closed in June, 
and in May CTeneral Gage was sent to enforce the measure. 

The people were intensely excited by these cruel measures. Tliey 
despaired of justice at the hands of the British ministry. They l>egan 
to feel that war was inevitable, and proceeded to arm and discipline 
themselves, and to manufacture guns and gunpowder. Every man 
capable of l)earing arms enrolled himself in a company pledged to be 
ready to take the field at a minute's warning. So was created the vast 
army of Minute Men. Its iieadcjuarters was under every roof. It 
bivouacked in every church and household ; and mothers, wives, sisters, 
and sweethearts made cartridges for its muskets and supplied its com- 
missariat. 

A crowded meeting in Faneuil Hall, in Boston, resolved to resume 
the non-importation measures with all their stringency. They sent Paul 
Bevere with their resolutions to the Sons of Liberty in 2sew York, 
■whona the Loyalists called '" Presbyterian Jesuits." The Committee of 
Fifty-One did not approve the resolutions, but favored the assembling of 
a general congress of deputies. In their reply to the communication 
from Boston they said : 

" The cause is general, and concerns a whole continent, who are 
equally interested with you and us ; and we foresee that no remedy can 
be of avail unless it proceeds from their joint acts and approbation. 
From a virtuous and spirited union much may be expected, while the 
feeble efforts of a few will only be attended with mischief and disap- 
pointment to themselves, and triumph to the adversaries of liberty. 
Upon these reasons we conclude that a Congeess of Deputies feom the 
coLoxiES IN' GEXEEAL is of the utmost importance ; that it ought to be 
assembled without delay, and some unanimous resolutions formed in this 
fatal emergency, not only respecting your deplorable circumstances [the 
destruction of all commercial business by the closing of the port], but 
for the securitv of our common riffhts." 

This recommendation for a General Congress, written, it is believed, 
by John Jay, found a hearty response everywhere. While the Bostonians 
approved the measure and suggested the time for holding the Congress, 



208 . TIIK KMI'IKK STATK. 

they adopted stringent non-importation measures. Tiie peojilL' in ntlier 
colonies did the same, and New York stood almost alone in refnsini;; 
to accpiiesee. At this the Loyalists rejoiced, and Ilivington, the 
King's Printer. pnl>lislied the following lines in his Gazetteer: 

" And so, my good masters, I find it no joko. 
For York lias stepjx'd forward and thrown off tlio yoke 
Of Congress, coinmittees, and even King Sears.* 
"Wlio shows you good-nature by showing his ears."' 

At tliis time there were two prominent political committees in New 
York — namely, the old Vigihmce Committee of Fifty and a newly- 
organized Committee of Fifty-One. Tlie former was composed of 
radicals. Sons of Libert}', led by McDongall, Sears, and Lamb, and 
favored non-importation measnres ; the latter consisted of conservatives, 
and favored a General Congress rather tiian non-importation measures. 

Adherents of the former called 

^ y^ a meeting in the Fields on July 

y^ _^'^?^^v:%^-'^ *''^^^ ^y^"^^-! ^^'lihdi, on account 

^^^^ OO'tyC^-y *~^ '^^^^§> *^'^ '^^ numljers, was known as 

"The Great Meeting." On 
sKiNATiKii OK is.\Ac sF..\ns. f],^t occasiou a student of King's 

(now Columbia) College, known 
as tlie '■ Young "West Indian,"' a delicate boy, girl-liko in personal grace 
and stature, oidy seventeen years of age, made a speech, and astonished 
the multitude by his eloquence and logic. He was Alexander Hamilton, 
from the island of Nevis, who was destined to play an important part iu 
the drama of our national history. 

The Great Meeting denounced the Boston Port P>ill and declared 
that an attack upon tlie liberties of one colony concerned tlie whole. 
The meeting pledged New York to join with others in a non-importation 
league, and to be governed by the action of the contemplated General 
Congress. The Committee of Fifty-One denounced these proceedings 

* Isaac Seal's was one of the most active and energetic of the Sons of Liberty. He was 
a native of Xorwalk, Conn., where he was born iu 1729 ; we died in Canton, China, in 
1786. He was a successful merchant in New York, engaged in the European and West 
India tr.ide. Having commanded a merchant vessel, he w;is generally known as Captain 
Sears, and because of his valiant leadership in opposition to the Government he was 
calle<l " King Sears. " He was thonuiglily liated, maligned, caricatured, and satirized 
by his political enemies. Rivington, the King's Printer, abused him .shamefully, and 
in retaliation Sears entered the city in 1775 with some Connecticut light horsemen and 
destroyed his maligiier's printing establishment. At the end of the war his business and 
fortune were gone. Iu 1783 he went, as supercargo, to China, and died soon after his 
arrival at Canton. 



DELEGATES TO A GENERAL CONGRESS. 209 

as " seditious and incendiary." Tiiis offended a dozen of tlieir members, 
who withdrew from the committee. But these feuds were soon healed 
by the exigencies of the occasion, and the patriots of New 1 ork, early 
in July (177-1), chose delegates to represent tlie province in the General 
Congress to be convened at Philadelphia on the 5tli day of September. 
They chose as representatives of the city of Xew Tork : Philip Living- 
ston, Jolni Alsop, Isaac Low, James Duane, and Jolui Jay. Suffolk 
County, on Long Island, elected William Floyd ; Orange County, Henry 
"Wisner and John Herring ; and King's County, Simon Boerum. 
Duchess and Westchester counties adopted the New York City delegates 
as tlieir representatives ; so also did the city and county of Albany.* 

* The people of Albany County were anxious to send Colonel Philip Schuyler as their 
deputy, but he was too severely afflicted with rheumatism and hereditary gout to allow 
him to serve them. Toward the close of .lulj" his friend, Councillor William Smith, 
wrote to him from -New York: "The colonies are preparing for the grand Wittcua- 
geiiwU [Great Assembly] with great spirit. .Vt Philadelphia a plan is digesting for an 
American Constitution. I know not the outlines of it. I hope it is for a Parliament to 
meet annually. Our people will be the last of all in the appointment of deleg.ates. I 
wish your county would a.ssist in the choice. Expresses will be sent through the whole 
colony to call upon the cotmties for the purpose. . . . The people of England begin to 
call out for an American Parliament." 



210 



Tin: r.Ml'IKE STATE. 



C'llArTKK XV. 

CoMMirrEEs of Correspondence, ■which h.ad been formed in every 
colony in 1773, luul been bnsy in the interchange of sentiments and 
opinions, and throngliout the entire commnnity of Britisli-Ainerieans 
from Maine to Georgia there -was evidently a consonance of feeling 
favorable to nnited efforts in opposing the angmeiiting oi)prci;sion of the 

mother (•oiintry. And yet they 
hesitated, and resolved to deliber- 
ate in solemn council before they 
slionld appeal to arms — " the last 
argument of kings. " 

To this end deputies represent- 
ing twelve British-American colo- 
nies met in Carpenter's Hall, at 
Philadeli^hia, on September .5th, 
1774^, and chose Peyton Randolph* 
president and Charles Thomson 
secretary of that body. Tliere 
were forty-four delegates present 
on that day. Those from the 
province of New York were James 
Dnane, John Jay. Philip Living- 
ston, Isiuxc Low and William Floyd. 
That first Continental Congress remained in session until October 
iidth, during which time they matured measures for future action. One 
of the most important of these measures was the formation of a league 




-^r 



I'KYTON iia:ndolpii. 



* Peyton Randolph was born in 1723, in Virginia, and, like other young men of 
wealthy parents in the colonics, was cducatcii in England, lie became a lawyer, and at 
tlie age of twenty-seven years was appointed attorney-general of the province. He went 
with a band of volunteers against the Indians on the Virginia frontier in 175(i. -V 
member of the House of Burgesses several years, he was its Siieaker at onetime. He 
was chairman of a, committee to rcvi.se the laws of Virginia ; went to Kngland to seek 
redress of grievances ; framed the remonstrance of the House of Burges.ses against the 
Stamp Act ; presided over the Virginia Provincial Convention at Williamsburg in 1774, 
and the first Continental Congress the same year ; presided over the second Virrinia 
Convention in March, 177.') ; was in the Continental Congress a short time that year, and 
dieil of apoplexy at Pliiladelpliia, October 22d, 177"). His portrait here given was copied 
from a miniature bv Charles 'SVillson Beale. 



THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS. 311 

for a general commercial nou-iiitercourse with Great Britain and lier 
"West India possessions. It was named the American Association. In 
addition to its non-interconrse provisions, it recommended the abandon- 
ment of the slave-trade, the improvement in the breed of sheep, absten- 
tion from all extravagance in living, indiilgence in horse-racing, etc., 
and the appointment of a sort of vigilance committee in every town to 
promote conformity to the recpiiremen^s of the Association. It was 
signed by the fifty-two members who were present at its adoption. 

This first Continental Congress pnt forth several able State papers — a 
Bill of Eights ; an Address to the People of Great Britain ; another to 
the several British- American colonies ; another to the Inhabitants of the 
Province of Qnebec, and a petition to the king. One of the most sig- 
nificant acts of the Congress, the most offensive to Great Britain, and 
which constitnted the whole business of the day, was the passage of the 
following resolution on October Sth : 

^''Resolved, That this Congress approve the opposition of the inhab- 
itants of Massachusetts Bay to the execution of the late acts of Parliament ; 
and if the same shall be 
attempted to be carried ^-^ ^ 

into execution by force, ^y^^^/^r?^ Jd tX^yz. c^c-t^ /(^ 
in such case all America (y / 

ought to support then' signatuke of teytox Randolph. 

in their oppo.sition.'' 

Thus defiantly was the gauntlet cast down at the feet of the king and 
Parliament. The Congress adjourned eighteen days afterward to meet 
at the same place on May 10th following, unless the desired redress of 
grievances should be obtained. 

The public press in the colonies almost unanimously supported the 
attitude assumed by the Congress. There were ouly four newspapers 
then published in the province of ISTew York, and tliese were sent forth 
from the city. Tliey were Hugh Gaines's New YorJc Mercury^ John 
Holt's New Yorh Journal, John Anderson's Constitutional Gasette, 
and James Rivington's New TorTc Gazette. The first three named were 
in sympathy with the patriots. The latter favored the royal side in 
political discussions.* The Whig papers everywhere abounded in 

* Holt's Jouriud was the most outspoken of any of the Whig newspapers. Before the 
meeting of the first Continental Congress it contained at its head the device of a snake 
disjointed, each piece having the initials of one of the English-.\niericaii colonies. He 
pleaded for its union. lu December, after the ses.sion of that Congress was ended, it 
contained another significant device. It represented a column, its base resting \ipon 
Magna Charta and upheld by thirteen strong arms reaching out of clouds. The column 






THE KMIMHK STATK. 



))ointe(l epijjranis, .s(]uil)s, keen satirical sonnets, and sententious argu- 
ments and logic, like tlie following : 




UNITE OR DIE 



'" 



iif 



TFIK (JlAIiHKI. WITH AMK.HICA KAIIU.Y STATKD. 

" Rudely forccil lo <liiiik lea, Massaclmsi'tts, in aui;<T, 
Spill llic tea oil Jiilin Bull— .loliii fell oil to ban;; her ; 
JIassaehusetts, cnraired, calls her neighbors to aid, 
And give Master John a severe bastinade. 
Now, good men of the law, pray who is at fault, 
The one who Ix'gius or resists the assault '!" 

Tiie proceedings of the Continental Congress ]n-odiict'd a most pro- 
foiuid sensation in Great Britain. When Parliament reassembled after 
the holidays (January 'iOth, 1775) the king denounced the American 

colonists as " rebels," and ]>roiii- 
ised ample means to bring them 
into subjection. William Pitt 
(iiow become Earl of Cliatham) 
made a powerful speech in the 
House of Lorils in favor of the 
Americans, which drew from that 
House a severe reprimand by a 
decided majority. Tims siip- 
siNAKE DKvit'E. portcd Ijv tlic kiiig and lor(ls, the 

ministry proceeded to ]iut the 
engine of coercion into swift oj>eration. Restrictive and other oppressive 
acts were passed, ami Mar was virtually declared against the British- 
American colonists. 

Meanwhile the several colonies had expressed their a])]>roval of the 
proceedings of the Continental Congress. New York alone refused to 
do so, but finally yielded. In November, 1774, the Committee of Fifty- 
One was dissolved, and at a meeting of " freeholders and freemen," held 
at the City Hall on the 22d of that month, a committee of si.xty persons 
were cho.sen " for carrying into execution the Association entered into 
bv the Continental Congress.'" 

So soon as the Congress adjourned the Loyalists and the High Church 
party in New York undertook to weaken the force of the American 

wa.s surmounted by the cap of Lilierty. The whole was eneireled by a snake in two 
coils, upon whieh were the words : 

" United now, alone and free, 
Firm on iliis biwin Liberty pliall Bland, 
And ItniH Hiii)|>orli'd, ever blecH our land. 
Till Time becomes Etcmitv." 



THEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL BISCUSSIONS. 213 

Association by inducing violations of its requirements. To this end 
scholars and divines ■who had been engaged in the controversy concern- 
ing an American episcopate now resumed their pens. Among the most 
eminent of these writers on the Tory side were Rev. Myles Cooper, D.D., 
President of King's College, and Drs. Inglis, Seabury and Chandler, of 
the Anglican Church. They were ably answered by William Livingston, 
John Jay, young Alexander Hamilton, and others. It was at this time 
that the last named entered the list of political writers, and soon became 
their peer and leader. 

Tiie first session of the New York Assembly after the adjournment of 
the Continental Congress bcijan on Januarv luth, 1775. In it was a 




7at<r 




SIGNjVTURE of OLn-EU DE L.VNCET. 



clear working majority of Tories. Colonel Philip Schuyler was the 
acknowledged leader of the opposition. He was ably supported by 
George Clinton and others, and they resolved to have the political issues 
between the people and the Government distinctly drawn and specifically 
considered. 

The venerable Colden, now at the head of the provincial government, 
called the attention of the Legislature, in his message, to the " alarming 
crisis," and admonished them that the country looked to them for wise 
counsel. He was a Lovalist, but was now conservative in feeline. He 
exhorted the Assembly to discontinue all -measures calculated to increase 
the public distress, and promised them his aid. The response to the 
message was drawn by Oliver de Lancey,* and took conservative ground. 

* Oliver de Lancey, a brother of Lieutenant-Governor James de Lancey, wa-s born in 
1717 ; died in England in 1785. He possessed large •CT-ealtli and great influence. He 
adhered to the crown when the war for independence began ; was commissioned a 
brigadier-general, and raised and commanded three battalions of Loyalists. His son, 
Oliver, became a captain of cavalry, and succeeded 3Iajor Andre as adjutant-general 
under General Clinton. The De Lanceys performed efficient service for the royal cause 
in Westchester County, N. Y. At the close of the war the general, accompanied by 
his son, went to England, where the latter rose to the rank of major-general, and at the 
time of hLs death w:is almost at the liead of the British army list. The elder General De 
Lancey became a member of Parliament. His nephew, .James de Lancey, commanded a 
battalion of horse in Westchester County, and because of his zeal in supplying the Briti-sh 
army with cattle from the farms of that county, his troopers were called <v/(r-6oy». Confis- 
cation acts swept away the larger portion of the De Lancey estate in America. 



HU THE EMPIKE STATE. 

At lengtli a question came up (January 20t!i, 1775) which tested tlie 
]X)litical character of tlie Assembly. Al)raliam Teubroeck moved that 
tlie House sliould " take into consideration the proceedings of the Con- 
tinental Congress," etc. The motion was negatived by a majority of 
only one. Xotwithstanding the meagreness of this majority, the result 
gave great juy to the Tories. One of them wrote to a gentleman in 
Boston : ■' Worthy old Silver Locks (Lieutenant-Governor Golden), 
when he heard that the Assembly had acted right, cried out, ' Lord, 
now lettest thy servant depart in peace.' " 

Soon after these efforts were made in the Assembly to bring it into sym- 
pathetic action with those of the other colonies, Colonel Schuyler moved 
that certain letters which had passed between the Committees of Corre- 
spondence of New York and Connecticut, and a certain letter to Edmund 
Burke (t^ie agent in England of the colony of New York), in June, 
1774, on the subject of a general Congress, " be forthwith entered upon 
the journals of the House and supplied to the new3papei"s for publica- 
tion." It was rejected by a vote of 16 to 9. Colonel Nathaniel AVood- 
liull moved that the thanks of the House should be given to the dele- 
ijates in the late Continental Coniiress " for their faithful discliar<re of 

n o o 

the trust reposed in them."' This was negatived — 1.5 to 'J. By the 
same vote a motion to tliaidi the merchants and others who had adhered 
to the non-iniportation and non-intercourse league was negatived. A 
motion to appoint delegates to the proposed second Continental Congress 
was lost by a vote of 17 to *.>. 

The Assembly agreed, by a majority vote, that Parliament had a right 
to tax the colonies without their consent. Late in February a petition 
to the king was presented for consideration. It was so cringing in tone 
— speaking of the )nonarch as " an indulgent father" and tlie colonists 
as " infants" who had " submitted hitherto without repining" to the 
authority of " the parent" — that the manliness, the patriotism, and the 
indignation of Schuyler and his friends were thoroughly aroused to most 
vigorous ojjposition. Schuyler offered several amendments ; but these, 
with resolutions presented by him, were voted down. Amendments 
offered to a memorial to the Il(Uise of Lords met with similar treatment. 
Finally the several papers adopted by the Assembly, though the}' did 
not express the sentiments of the people of tlie jirovince, were ordered 
to be sent to Mr. Burke. The As.sembly had l)een induced to send a 
remonstrance to Parliament against its harsh treatment of the colonists. 
Its terms, though mild, were so distasteful that it was not received by 
Parliament. 

Un April 3d, 1775, the I'rovinciul Assembly of New York — a legisla- 



THE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE AROUSED. 215 

tive body which had existed more than one hundred years — was 
adionrned never to meet again. The people now took public matters 
into their own hands. Tiie whole continent was moving rapidly toward 
an attitude of rebellion and self-government. The newspapers, as we 
have observed, were filled with exciting matter, and warlike preparations 
were observed on every side. General Gage, in command of troops at 
Boston, became alarmed, and began fortifying Boston Xeck. He seized 
and conveyed to that town quantities of gunpowder found in neighbor- 
ing villages, and he adopted stringent measures to prevent intercourse 
between citizens of the town and the country. 

Fierce exasperation followed these impolitic measures, and it was not 
long; before hundreds of armed men assembled at Cambridy'e. At 
Charlestown, near Boston, the people took possession of the Arsenal 
after Gage had carried off the powder. The people also captured the 
fort at Portsmouth, jST. II., and carried off the powder. The people of 
Rhode Island seized the powder and forty cannons at the entrance of 
Newport Harbor. Similar defensive measures were taken at Philadel- 
phia, Annapolis, Williamsburg, Charleston, and Savannah. 

The Republicans of Xew York having failed in their efforts in the 
Assembly to procure the appointment of delegates to the second Con- 
tinental Congress, which was to convene on May lOtli, nothing was left 
for them but to appeal to the people. The new general Committee of 
Sixty, temporarily exercising governmental functions and yielding to the 
pressure of popular sentiment, took measures for assembling a conven- 
tion of representatives of the several counties in the province for the 
purpose of choosing deputies to the General Congress. The Loyalists 
opposed the measure as disrespectful to the Assembly, which had refused 
to appoint delegates. 

The ])eople, wearied of the Legislature, were now driven to a point 
where respect for authorities whose views were not in consonance 
with the spirit of liberty and free discussion was almost wholly un- 
known. 

They first rallied around the Liberty Pole (April 6th, ITT;')), beneath 
a banner inscribed " Constitutional Liberty," and marching to the 
Exchange, were met there by large numbers of Loyalists, led by members 
of the Council and the Assembly, with officers of the army and navy, 
who came to overawe the people. They failed. A Provincial Conven- 
tion was called, and assembled at the Exchange, forty-two in number, 
on April 20th, and chose Philip Livingston, James Duane, John Aisop, 
John Jay, Simon Boerum, William Floyd, Henry Wisner, Philip 
Schuyler, George Clinton, Lewis Morris, Francis Lewis, and Robert R. 



216 THE EMT'IHE STATE. 

Livingston deputies to represent the ])r()viiK'e of New York in the Con- 
tinental Congress. 

On May 22d (1775) deputies from the several counties assembled in 
Jsew York and organized a Provincial Congress, with Peter van Brngli 
Livingston, president; Yolkert P. Douvv, vice-president; and Jolm 
McKesson and Uolicrt Benson, secretaries.* That body assumed the 
functions of a provincial government, and utterly ignored the royal 
governor and his f'ouncil. 

Tiie great crisis was now approaching. When, just after tiie adjourn- 
ment of the Provincial Convention (April 24-th), news came of the tragedy 
at Lexington and Concord the public mind at Xew York was fearfully 
excited by that intelligence, and by the arrest of Captain Isaac Sears, 
the bold leader of the Sons of Liberty, on a charge of seditious Titter- 
ances. On his M-ay to jail he was taken from the officers by his friends 
and borne in trinnipli through the streets, preceded by a band of music 
and a banner. Tluit niglit Sears addressed the people in " The Fields," 

* Members of llie first Provincial Congress of New York, ■which met in the city of 
New Yorlt on May 23ii, 1775 : 

For the City and Coiinty of Keie York. — Isaac Low, L. Lispcnard, Abraliam Walton, 
Isitac Roosevelt, Abraham Brasher, Alexander McDoujral, P. van Brugli Livinjjston, 
James Beekman, Jolin Jlorin Scott, Thomas Smith, Benjamin Kissani. Samuel Verplanck, 
David Clarkson, George Folliot, Joseph Ilallet, John van C'ortlamll, John de Lancey, 
Ricliard Yates, John Marston, Walter Franklin, Jacobus van Zandt. 

Fur thr Citji mid VoHiitij iif AViiiny. — Vollvcrt P. Douw, Abraham Yates, Robert Yates, 
Jacob Cuyler, Peter Sylvester, Direk Swart, Waller Livingston, HoIkiI van Rcns,selaer, 
Henry Glenn, Abraliam Tenbroeek, Francis NicoU. 

For Ditc/tfss County. — Dirck Brinkerhoff, Andrew Hoffman, Zephaniah Piatt. Richard 
Montgomery, Ephraim Paine, Gilbert Livingston. Jonatlian Langdon, Gysbert Schenck, 
Melancton Smith, Natlianiel Sackett. 

For Ulster County. — Colonel Jolni Ilardenburg, Egbert numond, Christoplier Tap- 
pan, James Clinton, Dr. Charles Clinton, John Nicholson, .Tacob Ilornbeck. 

For Oranne County. ^John Coe, David Pye, JlichacI Jackson, Benjamin Tustin, Peter 
Clowes, WiUiara Allison. Abraham Lent. Jolin Ilaring. 

For Suffo/k Coiinty. — Natlianiel Woodliull. John Sloss Ilobart. Ezra L'Hommedieu, 
Tliomiui Wickham, Thomas; Treadwell, John Foster, James Haven, Sclah Strong. 

For Rirhmond County. — Paul Micheau, John Journey, Richard Conner, Richard Law- 
rence, Aaron Corlelyou. 

For Westchester County. — Gouverneur Jlorris. Lewis Graham. James van Cortlandt, 
Stephen Ward. Joseph Drake. Philip van Cortlandt, John Thomas, Jr., Rolnrt Graham, 
William Paulding. 

For Kinys County. — Jolin E. l.ott, Ileniy Williams. J. Rem.scn. Richard Stillwil!. 
Theodore Polhemus. John LetTcrts, Nicholas Covenhoven. John Vandcrbilt. 

For Queens Qninty. — Jacob Blackwell, Joseph I,awrenee, Daniel Rapelje, Zebulon 
AVilliams, Samuel Townsend, Joseiih Trench, Joseph Robinson, Nathaniel Tom, Thomas 
Hicks, Richard Thone, 

For Charlotte. — Dr. John Williams, William Marston. 



COMMITTEES IN NEW YORK CITY. 217 

and a few days afterward lie was elected a member of the Provincial 
Congress. 

The aroused Sons of Liberty embargoed all vessels in the harbor laden 
with provisions for the Eritish troops in Boston. They did more ; they 
demanded and received the keys of the Custom House, dismissed the 
employes, and closed it. They also seized public arms, and placed a 
guard at the arsenal. Then they boldly proclaimed this overt act of 
treason to their brethren in other cities. General alarm prevailed, espe- 
cially among the Tories. A Grand Committee of Safety, consisting of 
one hundred of the most respectable citizens,* was organized, and a 
military association for practice in the use of fire-arms was formed. The 
Committee of One Hundred assumed the functions of municipal 
government. 

When the Provincial Congress assembled its complexion disappointed 
the people. Toryism and timidity prevailed in that bod}', and schemes 
for conciliation instead of measures for defence occupied the majority. 
Family influence was very powerful in the colony in every department 
of social life, and through it the Provincial Assembly and the Provincial 
Congress were loyally inclined. The masses of the peojile were chiefly 
Republican in feeling, and Toryism in the Provincial Congress, hard 
pressed by popular sentiment and the influence of important events daily 
occurring, was soon compelled to yield. When it was finally crushed 
out, no province or State was more patriotic and more active in the cause 
of liberty than New York. With a population of only 104,000 in 1780, 

* The following are the names of the Committee of One Hundred : Isaac Low, chair- 
man ; Jolin Jay. Francis Lewis, John Alsop. Philip Livingston, James Duane. Evert 
Duyckman, 'William Seton, William W. Ludlow, Cornelius Clopper, Abraham Briuker- 
hoff, Henry Remsen, Robert Ray. Evert Bancker, JoseiJh Totten. Abraham P. Lott, 
David Beekman, Isaac Roosevelt, Gabriel H. Ludlow, William Walton, Daniel Pha?nix, 
Frederick Jay, Samuel Broome, John do Lancey, Augustus van Home, Abraham 
Duryee, Samuel Verplanck, Rudolphus Ritzema, John ^lorton, Joseph Hallet, Robert 
Benson, Abraham Brasher, Leonard Lispenard, Nicholas Hoffman, Peter van Brugh 
Livingston, Thomas Marsten, Lewis Pintard. John Imlay, Elcazer Miller, Jr., John 
Broome, John B. ^Moore, Nicholas Bogart, John Anthony, Victor Bicker, William 
Goforth. Hercules Mulligan, Alexander McDougal. John Reade, Joseph Ball, George 
Jaueway, John White, Gabriel W. Ludlow, .lohn Lasher, Theophilus Anthony, Thom;is 
Smith. Hichanl Yates, Oliver Templeton, Jacobus van Landby, Jeremiah Platl. Peter 
S. Curtenius, Thomas Randall, Lancaster Burling, Benjamin Kissam, Jacob Lefferts, 
Anthony van Dam, xVbraham Walton, Hamilton Young, Nicholas Roosevelt, Cornelius 
P. Low, Francis Bassett, James Beekman, Thomas Ivers, William Dunning, .John 
Berrien, Benjamin Helme, William W. Gilbert, Daniel Dunscombe, .John Lamb, Richard 
Sharp, John Morin .Scott, Jacob van Voorhis, Comfort Sands, Edward Fkmming, Peter 
Goelet, Gerrit Kettletas, Thomas Buchanan, James Desbrosses, Petrns Byvanck, and 
Lott Embree. 



218 TlIK KMI'Iin-; STATK. 

of wlinin 32,500 were liable to military duty, New York had fnriiislied 
17,7SO soldiei-s for the Continental Army, or over 300(t more than Con- 
gress ret^uired. Even at the junetiire we are considering, tiie Provincial 
Congress authorized the raising and furnishing of four regiments, the 
constriu'tion of fortifications at tlie northern end of Ar;in]iattan Island, 
and fortifications in the Hudson Highlands. 

Aircadv the lirst military coiujucst made by the Americans in tin; old 
war for iiidepentlonce had been achieved within tlie jirovince of Now 
York. It M-as done chietiy by the prowess of (ireen Mountain Boys, 
who liad so long and so successfully defied the authorities and the land 
speculators of Xew York. Benedict Arnold, of Connecticut, who liad 
liasteneJ to Cambridge with a military company on hearing of the affrays 
at Lexington and Concord, proposed to tlie Massachusetts Provincial 
Congress the seizure of the stronghold of Ticnnderoga, on Lake Cham- 
plain, lie was commissioned a colonel, and authorized to raise men for 
the enterprise. Meanwhile some Connecticut people, bent on a similar 
enterprise, had repaired to I'ittsfield, in Western Massachusetts, where 
they M-ere joined by Colonels Iviton and Brown and some of their 
followers. Tiiey all wont to Bennington, where Colonel Ethan Allen 
and a considerable force of Green Mountain Boys joined them. The 
whole force rendezvoused at Castleton, wiiere tiiey chose Allen as com- 
mander-in-chief of the expedition. There Arnold joined tiie little host 
with a few followers, and, by virtue of liis commission, claimed the right 
to supreme command. Tiie Green jMountain Boys objected. Arnold 
yielded. On the night of May '.Hh (lT7r>) most of the little army crossed 
Lake Champlain near Ticonderoga, and at early dawn on the 10th Allen 
and Arnold, with a considerable force, having seized the sentinel at the 
sallyport, passed through a covered way, and before they were discovered 
were on the parade within the fort. They liad taken the garrison by 
surprise. Allen proceeded to the cpiarters of the commandant, who had 
just been awakened from his slumbers, and demanded the surrender of 
the fort. 

" By what authority do you make such a demand f ' asked the com- 
mandant, who knew Allen. 

" By the authority of the (ireat .lehovaii and the Continental 
Congress I" said Allen, in a loud voice. Dubious about Allen's divine 
authority, the comniandaiit nevertheless yielded, altiiotigh the Con- 
tinental Congress did not exis'^ until some hours later on that day. The 
spoils of victory comprised 120 iron cannons, at) swivels, 2 mortars, and 
a large amount of ammniiition and stores, which were useil in the siege 
of Boston a few months afterward. Two days later Colonel Seth 



FUNCTIONS OF THK CONTIXEXTAL CONGRESS. 



219 



"Wanier and some Green Mountain Boys took possession of Crown Point, 
a few miles from Ticonderoga. Thus, at the outset of the war, tlie 
Eepubhcans gained possession of Lake Champlain and the key to 
Canada. 

On the day of tlie capture of Ticonderoga (^lay 10th, ITTSj tlie second 
Continental Congress assembled at Philadelphia, and chose Peyton Pan- 
dolph president and Charles Thomson secretary. The grave questions 
arose, What are we here for '. and "What are our powers \ They simply 
composed a large Committee of Conference like the Congress of 1774, 




^^^ 



RrrSS OF FOKT TlCO.VDEKl>(;\.* 



without specifically delegated legislative or executive powers ; yet the 
common-sense of the inhabitants of the colonies represented there at that 
perilous hour, regarded them as fully invested with supreme legislative and 
executive functions. The deference paid by the provincial authorities 
of Massachusetts and New York in askinjr the advice of Congress about 
public affairs was a tacit acknowledgment of the supremacy of the Con- 
tinental Congress, and action was taken accordingly. That body pro- 
ceeded to issue bills of credit, create an army and navy, establish a 
postal .service, and to do all other acts of sovereignty. 



* This Ls a view of the ruins of the famous old fort as it appeared in 184)?, taken from 
the bank of the lake. The place of the covered way through which Alien and his 
followers entered the fort was at the left comer of the picture near the sheep in the fore- 
{rround. 



220 TIIH KMIMItK STATK. 

^Meanwhile the patriots of New England liad gathered in large numhers 
around Boston, determined to confine the I'ritisli troops that occupied 
tlie town witliin the hounds of tlie peninsula. The battle of Ihinkcr 
(Breed's) Hill was fought on June ]7th ; a Continental Army had just 
heen organized, and CTCorge Washington, of Virginia, a])pointcd its com- 
mander-in-chief ; and the Continental Congress made vigorous pre[)ara- 
tions for the defence of liberty in .Vnierica. 

Rumors reached the Provincial Congress of Xcw York that British 
troops were con)ing from Ireland to occupy the city. That body, now 
somewhat purged of its Toryism by intelligence from the East, invited 
General Wooster, who was in command of a body of militia at Green- 
wich, in Connecticut, for the defence of the shores of that colony, to 
come to the jjrotection of New York. He encamped at Harlem for 
several weeks, and sent detachments to drive ofF marauders on Long 
Island, who were stealing cattle for the use of the British Army at 
Boston. His presence so emboldened the patriots at Kew York that at 
midnight late in July they captured British stores on the eastern verge 
of ^Manhattan Island (foot of present Forty-seventh Street), and sent 
part of them to the American army before Boston and a part to the 
jjarrison at Ticonderoga. Thev also seized a tender belonwing; to the 
As/'a, a British man-of-war lying in Xew York Harbor. 

Governor Tryon had returned to New York in the Aft/a late in June, 
and was received with much respect ; but he soon offended the Repub- 
licans. The energetic action of the Committee of Gne Handled soon 
taught him to be circumspect in public, but he was continually engaged 
in private intrigues m fostering the spirit of Toryism in the Provincial 
Congress. 

Washington arrived at New York on his way to take command of the 
army at Cambridge on the same day when Tryon arrived at Sandy Ilook 
(June 25th, 1775). This coincidence embarrassed the Provincial Con- 
gress and the municipal authorities. The public functions of the two 
men were seriously antagonistic, and their respective political friends 
were fiercely hostile. To avoid offence honors must be given to both. 
What was to be done ? Fortunately, these magnates did not reach the 
city simultaneously. Washington and his party, to avoid British vessels 
ill the harbor, were landed at the seat of Colonel Lispenard, on the 
Hudson, about a mile above the town, in the afternoon, and were con- 
ducted into the city by nine companies of foot and a great multitude of 
citizens, where they were received by the civil authorities. Tiie Presi- 
dent of the Congress (Philip Livingston) pronounced a cautious and con- 
servative address, to which the general replied. Governor Tryon arrived 



ELEMENTS OF WEAKNESS IN NEW YORK. 



221 



four liotirs later, and was conducted to the house of Hugh Wallace, Esq. 
The civic and military ceremonies -were partially repeated in the evening, 
and all parties were satisfied. It w;i.s a memorable Sabbath day in Xew 
York. 

The province of Kew York at this crisis presented three dangerous 
elements of weakness — namely, an 
exposed frontier, a wily and pow- 
erful internal foe (Indians and 
Tories), and a demoralizing loyalty. 
On its northern border was Canada 
with a population practically neu- 
tral on the great question at issue, 
and prone to he hostile to the 
patriots. The central and western 
regions of the province were swarm- 
ing with the Six Xations of Iroquois, 
whose almost universal loyalty had 
now been secured by the influence 
of Sir AYilliam Johnson and his 
famil}', while nearer the seaboard 
and in the metropolis, family com- 
pacts and commercial interests were powerfully swayed by traditional and 
natural attachments to tlie crown. These neutralized, to a great extent, 




PHILIP LIVINGSTON. 



* Philip Liviiig.ston was one of the most energetic, upright, public-spirited, and 
esteemed business men in the province of New York at the period immediately preceding 
the Revolution ; and lie was one of the most trustworthy and efficient of the supporters 
of the cause of the American patriots. He was a grandson of Robert Livingston, the 
Ijrst " Lord of the Manor." He was born in Albany in 1716, the year when the manor 
was first accorded the privilege of a representative in the Colonial .^.ssenibly. He became 
a merchant, and a most energetic and thrifty one ; and he entered vigorously into the 
heated political discussions before the old war for independence began. His business was 
in New York City, where he was alderman nine years. He represented the manor in the 
-\ssembl_v during the French and Indian War, where he had great influence as a leader 
of the patriotic party in that body, with Colonel Schuyler, Pierre van Cortlandt, Charles 
De Witt, etc. ; and corresponded much with Edmund Burke. Mr. Livingston represented 
New York in the first Continental Congress, and was on the committee that prepared 
the remarkable " Address to the People of Great Britain," which drew forth warm 
encomiums from William Pitt (Lord Chatham). He was an active member of tbe New 
York Provincial Congress in 1TT5, and earnestly supported the proposition for inde- 
pendence, signing the great Declaration. Mr. Livingston was a member of the first 
Senate of the Stale of New York, and also a delegate in the General Congress. When 
the sessions of that body were held at Lancaster and York his health rapidly failed, and 
he died at York on June llth, 1778 He was one of the founders of the New York 
Society Library, of King's (now Columbia) College, and of the Chamber of Commerce. 



322 TIIK KMI'IIU: STATE. 

the inlluenee of tlic iow sturdy patriots ■who, in tlie face of frowns and 
ineiuiees and the fears of the timid, kept the fires of the Revolution 
liurninj; witli continually increasing brightness. 

The whole province of New York constituted the " Xorthern Depart- 
ment" of tlie Continental >Vrniy. Washington placed it under the 
charge of Philip Schuyler, one of his four major-generals, whose sleep- 
less vigilance caused him to be designated the " Great Eye" of the 
department. In his instructions to Schuyler, given at Xew York, 
Washington admonished him to " keep a watchful eye upon (xovernor 
Tryon," and to use every means in his power to frustrate his designs 
" inimical to the common cause." 

Affairs on Lake Ciuim plain demanded Schuyler's first and most earnest 
attention, for the possession of Canada by an alliance or by conquest was 
a consideration of the greatest consequence. As the inhabitants were 
French Roman Catholics, having no sympathy in religion or nationality 
with either jjarty, they were objects of great solicitude to lioth. Friendly 
overtures were made to them by the colonies then in league, but imprudent 
language interfered. Had wise words and measures been adopted at the 
outset the Canadians might have l)een easily won to an alliance, for a 
traditional feuil between tlie Frencli and English had existed for a 
thousand years, and the recent conquest of Canada by the Englisii was 
yet a cause for much irritation ; or had Congress acted promptly upon 
the suggestions of Colonels Allen and Arnold soon after the capture of 
Ticonderoga, Canada might have been easily won by conquest. The 
Xew York Provincial Congress thought it an '"' impertinent proposal 
coming from Allen, a man who had been outlawed by the authorities of 
Xew York." 

The two heroes (Allen and Arnold) had already on their own respon- 
sibility taken preliminary steps toward such conquest. They went down 
the lake in a schooner and bateaux with armed men, and Arnold 
captured St. Johns, on the Sorel (the outlet of the lake\ but could not 
hold the i^rize. Again, wiien Arnold heard that the Governor of Canada 
had sent an armed force to St. Johns for the purpose of attempting the 
recapture of the lake forts, he proceeded without authority to fit out, 
arm, and man with one hundred and fifty persons all tiie vessels he could 
lay his hands upon, and, as self-constituted connnodore, he took post at 
Crown Point and awaited the coming of the foes. They did not come. 
This was the first Continental Xavy. It w<is put afloat in Xew York 
waters before the middle of June, 1775. 

Colonel Allen and his lieiitciiunt, Seth Warner, a)ipeared l)efore the 
Continental Congress at Piiiladelphia, and on the floor of the House he 



E-AFPLOYMENT OF GREEN MOUXTAIX BOYS. '2i:i 

revealed to the members, in quaint phrases and with slow speech, the 
state of affairs on the northern frontier, and iirtjed tiie importance of an 
immediate invasion of Canada before the small British force there should 
be increased. He asked for authority to raise a new regiment of Green 
Mountain Boys for that service. His words so deeply impressed the 
members that on June ITth they 

^'Hesolved, That it be recommended to the Convention of Kew York 
that they, consulting with General Schuyler, employ in the army to be 
raised for the defence of America those called ' Green Mountain Boys,' 
under such officers as the said Green Moiintaiu Boys shall choose." 

Allen and Warner soon appeared in New York and craved an audience 
with the Provincial Congress. Their errand produced much embarrass- 
ment. How could members treat with men who had recently been pro- 
claimed outlaws ? Debates ran high, when Captain Sears moved that 
'•' Ethan Allen be admitted to the floor of the House." The motion was 
adopted by a large majority. The old feud was instantly healed, and 
the Congress decreed that a regiment of Green Mountain Boys, five 
hundred strong, should be raised. 

Already Governor Trumbull, of Connecticut, had sent troops to 
Ticonderosra, under Colonel Hinman, who held the chief command there 
until superseded by General Schuyler. The military force then in the 
province did not exceed three thousand men fit for duty, and yet prepa- 
rations were made in Xew York for an invasion of Canada. The visit of 
Allen and Warner had quickened the perceptions of the Continental 
Congress of the necessity of such an invasion, and on June 2Tth that 
body ordered General Schuyler, if he should " find it practicable and 
not disagreeable to the Canadians, immediately to take possession of 
St. Johns and Montreal, and pursue such other measures in Canada as 
might have a tendency to promote the peace and security of these prov- 
inces*' — in other words, to undertake an armed invasion of Canada. 



2-U 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



CITAl'TKU XYT. 



General Sciuvlkk liad accoiiipaiiiL'il Washington from I'liilailelpliia 
to New York. When liu arrived at Albany early in July he found the 

aspect of affairs in Northern New 
York dark and unpromising to the 
lie])nl)iican cause. 

Sir William Johnson,* who had 
taken sides with the crown in the 
political movements of the time, 
had died the previous autumn. His 
mantle of almost unlmnnded influ- 
enceoverthe Indians of the Mdhawk 
Valley and beyond had fallen iipon 
his energetic son-in-law, (yolonel 
Guy Johnson, who succeeded him 
as Superintendent of Indian Affairs. 
Sir William's son John inherited 
the title and estates of the baronet, 
and was at that time earnestly en- 
gaged in keeping Toryism actively 
alive in the Mohawk Yalley. He 
had been appointed, in 1774, brigadier-general of the militia of Tiwou 
County, which extended west of Albany County almost indefinitely. 
These successors of Sir AVilliam, especially Guy, professed peaceable 




8IK WILMAM JOIIMSOX. 



* Sir AVilliara Jolin.ion was a conspicuous charaottT in llie Inter period of the colonial 
liistory of New York. He was a native of Ireland, where lie wsis born in 1715. Educated 
for a merchant, an iinforliinate love affair clianjred the tenor of his life. He eaine to 
America to take charge of landed [iropcrty in the re;;ion of tlie Muliawk Valley belonging 
lo his uncle. Admiral Sir Pcler Warren. His good treatment of tlie Indians made him ii 
favorite with tliem, lie laiilt a tine mansion (yet stan<ling), which he called " .lohnson 
Ilall," and there the village of .lohnstown. in Fulton County, now flourishes. lie 
married a pretty German girl, by whom he had two children, a .son (.iflerward Sir John 
Johnson) and a daughter. By his lious<'keeper, Mary Urant. the sister of IJranl. the 
celebrated Mohawk chief, he had eight children. She lived with him until his death in 
1774. When the French and Indian War broke out Johnson was appointed sole agent 
of Indian affairs in the province of New York, and managed tlu; business most judi- 
<iously. The king granted him 100,000 acres of land in tlie Mohawk Valley. He lived 
on his domain in his fine mansion in rude baronial splendor. 



(U'V JOHNSON A>il) TIIK INDIAN'S. 



225 



intentions, l)ut tlie movements of tlio latter liad lieen so snspicious for 
some time that tlie patrioti(! citizens of Tryon Connty were iilleil with 
apprehensions. 

Guy Jolmson M-as lioldinij a council, in tin; spring of ITT."), with the 
Indians at his lionse* (near the 
present village of Amsterdam), on 
the Molniwk, \vhen new.s from 
Lexington and intinnitions that ho 
was abont to ho arrested so alarmed 
him that he hastily adjonrned the 
council, tirst to the German Flats 
and tlien to Fort Stanwix, now 

Home. lie liad taken his family with him. lie soon inished onward 
to tlie heart of the country of the fierce Cayngas and Senecas, and at 
Ontario (according to tradition) he called a great council of the Six 




SIGNATUKK OF Silt WII.T.IAM .lOII.NSOX. 






'■vv^-f, 






'ftn^qirii' 




GUY .lOHNSON S HOUSE. 



]!^ations. lie was accompanied by Braut (whose sister had been tlie 
concubine — the wife, accoi'ding to Indian customs — of Sir William) as 



* Tliis liousc, substantially built of stone, i.s yet standing on the north side of the 
Mohawk River, a mile from the village of Amsterdam, in Montgomery County. Sir 
"William Johnsun had an equally strong mansion, two stories in Iieight, with a high 
peaked roof, wherein he resided twenty years before he built Johnson Hall. It is yet 
standing, about three miles west of Amsterdam. It was fortified and ealled " Fort 
Johnson." 






TIIK K.MPIItr. STATK. 



liis scerotiirv ; :ilsci hy Cidonel John Butler and liis eon Walter, wlio Avas 
afterward en^airud in Moody forays iiiion tlie defenceless -white iidiah- 
itants of the ^foliawk rej^ion. 

The council at Ontario, at which ahnnt l'onrt(!cn hundred harharians 
were assenililcd, was satisfactory to Colonel .lohnson. Thence lie went 
to Oswej^o and invited rei)resentatives of the Six Nations to meet him in 




JOHNBON n.M.L.f 

(Knim 11 plcL'tfli mmlc in 18J8.) 



council there, to " feast on a Dostonian and to drink liis hlood " — in other 
■words, to eat a roasted ox and to drink' a J'ipi; of wine." The council 
was held ; and at the ct)nclnsion Johnson, with a large nundier of 
Iroquois chiefs anil \varriors, crossed Lake Ontario, went down tlie St. 
Lawrence to ^[ontreal, ami entered the I'ritish military service. Tliey 
were chiefly Mohnwks under Brant. 

* Somo doubt lins bepii expressed by a late invest iftator (Mr. A. McF. Davis) as to tiM 
conferences in the suninicr of 1775, iis Ontario and t)swego were names sometimes applied 
to the same place at the mouth of the Oswego liiver by writers at that day. There was 
a place in the Seneca country on the borders of Lake Ontario called " Ontario," where a 
conference inatj have been laid, us stated in the text. 

\ Johnson Hall, yet .standing upo;i a gentle eminence about three fomlhs of a mile 
north of the court house in the village of .Johnstown. Fidton County, was liiiilt about llie 
year 1700 by Sir William Johnson, and was, probably, the linest mansion in the ])rovince 
of New York at that lime. The main building is of wood, dapboardeil in a maimer to 
represent blocks of stone. It is forty feet wide, sixty feet long, and two stories high. 
The detached wings, built for flanking block-hou.se.s, are of stone. The walls are very 
thiek, and pierced near the eaves for musketry. One of these was recently removed. 



COMMISSIOXERS OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 327 

While Guy Johnson was tlius forming an active alliance of many of 
the tribes of the Six Nations (and especially the Mohawks) with the 
British in Canada, Sir John Johnson remained at Johnson Hall, the seat 
of Sir William, which he had fortified, exerting an equally powerful 
influence in a more quiet way in favor of the crown as a military leader 
and as a manorial proprietor over a large number of Scotch retainers, 
M'ho were all Loyalists. 

So was inaugurated the coalition with the British of Indians and Tories 
in ]S^ew York, whose atrocious deeds in the ]V[oliawk region gave it the 
name of '' The Dark and Bloody Ground." 

The Continental Congress now perceiving the necessity of securing the 
neutrality if not the alliance of the Indians, established a Board of Com- 
missioners of Indian Affairs in three departments. General Schuyler, 
Major Joseph Hawley, Turbutt Francis, Oliver Wolcott, and Volkert 
P. Douw were appointed commissioners for the Northern De])artnient. 
Through this Board Congress addressed earnest and friendly " talks" to 
the Six Nations, entreating them not to engage in the contest. " This 
is a family quarrel between us and Old England," they said. " You 
Indians are not concerned in it. We do not wish you to take up the 
hatchet against the king's troops. We desire you to remain at home 
and not join on either side." 

Had a like humane and discreet policy governed the councils of the 
British Ministry many a horrible deed the record of which stains the 
annals of the period might never have been committed. 

Tionderoga, or Ticonderoga, was made the ])oint of rendezvous for 
the troops designed for the invasion of Canada. Schuyler was there at 
the middle of July. Only a handful of meanly-clad and poorly-fed 
armed men were there, under the command of Colonel Ilinman, among 
whom insubordination was the rule. Brigadier-General Richard Mont- 
gomery, Schuyler's second in command, had been left at Albany to 
receive and discipline troops that might arrive until the commissariat at 
Ticonderoga should be in an efficient condition. 

It had been agreed that Connecticut should furnish men and New 
York supplies. Both were tardy in performance, and the summer was 
almost ended before there was a sufficient force fairly equipped at 
Ticonderoga to warrant Schuyler in ordering an advance toward Canada. 
Washington, in command of the Continental troops before Boston, gave 
all aid to the enterprise in his power, and when the movement began he 
sent Colonel Arnold Avith over a thousand men across the wilderness of 
Western Maine to co-operate in efforts to seize Quebec. 

The Provincial Congress of New York was almost powerless to act. 



228 '11 IK EMPIRE STATE. 

'* You cannot conceive," wrote its president to General Schuj'ler in 
August, " the trouble we have with our troops for want of money. To 
ilnc hour we have not received a shilling of the public money. Two of 
our menihcrs have been at Pliihidelphia almost a fortnight waiting for 
tlie Ciish. ( >ur men insist on being paid before they marcli. not tlifir 
subsistence only, l)ut also their billeting money. Perhaps no men have 
been more embarrasseil than we." 

This inability was called indifference by some and disaffection by 
othei-s, and drew forth ungenerous reflections. " That Congress," 
wrote Samuel Mott to Governor Trumbull from Tieonderoga, " are still 
unsound at heart. They make a great noise and send forward a few 
officers to command ; but as to soldiers in the service, I believe they are 
not more than one hundred and fifty strong at all the posts this side of 
Albany." And Major Brown, then on a mission in Canada, wrote to 
the same gentleman : " The New Yorkers have acted a droll part, and 
are determined to defeat us if they can." 

Schuyler had sent Major Brown, an American and a resident on the 
Sorel, into Canada for information. At the middle of August he rejjorted 
that there were seven hundred regular troops in Canada, of whom three 
hundred were at St. Johns ; that live hundred Tories and Indians under 
Sir Jolm Johnson were near Montreal trying to persuade the Caughna- 
wagas to join them ; that the French Canadians, restive under British 
rule, were generally disposed to remain neutral, and that he believed the 
conquest of Canada, if undertaken at once, might easily be achieved. 

Schuyler now resolved to push forward as speedily as possible. Troops 
and supplies were coming forward. The Provincial Congress of New 
York was using every effort to furnish its one thousand men. Four 
regiments Avere organized under the respective commands of Colonels 
McDougal, Van Schaick, Clinton, and Holmes, and Captain John Lamb 
was authorized to raise a company of artillery one hundred strong, to be 
attached to McDougal's regiment. The Committee of Safety of New 
Hampshire sent to the gathering army on the lake three companies, under 
Colonel Bedel, who were accustomed to the woods and well acijuainted 
with Canada. But the Green Mountain Boys were tardy in forming 
their regiment. 

Toward the close of August the troops at Tieonderoga moved do\vn 
the lake under the command of Generals Montgomery* and Wooster, 

* Richard Montgomery wa.s born in tho north of Ireland in 1736 ; entered the British 
Army ; a.>isisted in Hit' cnplurc of Quebec in IT.IO ; wjvs in the eampaign against Havana 
with General Lyman, and, returning to New York, he made that city his residence. He 
■went to England, sold his commission in 1772, came back, and bought a beautiful estate 



CAPTUKE OF ST. J0H:S^S AND MONTREAL. 



229 




-i: 



and took post at Isle aux Xoix, on the Sorel, a few miles above St. 

Johns. There Schuyler joined them. He had been in attendance npon 

his duty as Commissioner of Indian AfiEairs in holding a conference ■with 

representatives of the Six Nations 

at Albany. The troops remained 

at Isle anx !Noix until the middle 

of September, when Schuyler, 

prostrated by illness, transferred 

the chief command to Montgomery 

and returned to Ticouderoga. 

On the day of Schuyler's de- 
parture ('Septefn])er 25th) Mont- 
gomery advanced npon the fort at 
St. Johns with aboxit a thousand 
men without artillery, and began a 
siege on the ISth. The garrison, 
commanded by Colonel Preston, 
maintained a vigorous resistance for 
more than a month. The fort was 
surrendered to Montgomery on 
November 3fl, 1775. 

Durino- the siege small detachments from Montgomerv's force went 
out npon daring enterprises. Colonel Ethan Allen had joined the little 
patriot army. At the head of eighty men, at the suggestion of Colonel 
John Brown, wlio was to co-operate with him, he pushed across the St. 
Lawrence to attack Montreal. Brown failed to co-operate. AUen was 
defeated, made prisoner, and was sent to England to be tried for treason, 
but was exchanged in ilay, 177S. Montgomery took Montreal. 

General Montgomery wrote to the Continental Congress : "■ Until 
Quebec is taken Canada remains unconquered." Impressed with this 
idea, he lost no time in pressing toward Quebec in the face of terrible 
discouragements — inclement weather, the desertion of troops, hostility 
of the Canadians, and a lean commissariat. Frost was binding the 
■waters, snow was mantling the whole country, and the rigoi's of a 
Canadian winter menaced him. 



GENERAL RICHAKD MONTGOSIERV. 



on the east bank of the Hudson, in Duchess Countv, and soon afterward married a 
daughter of Robert Livingston. He espoused the patriot cause ; was comnii-ssioned a 
brigadier-general, and joined General Schuyler in the expedition to conquer Canada in 
177.5. He was in chief command of the troops that captured St. Johns and Montreal, 
and laid siege to Quebec. In an attack upon that city he was killed. There is a fine 
memorial monument to his mcraorv on the front of St. Paul's Church, Xcw York City. 



nw 



Till-: E>[PIRE STATE. 



Twent}' miles above Quebec Montgomery met Arnold (December 
lltli) with a shattered remnant of his followers, tattered and torn, who 
had been driven from before the city, when woollen suits brought from 
Montreal were placed upon their shivering limbs. The united forces 
stood iipon the Plains of Abraham, before Quebec, on December 
1st, and demanded tlie surrender of the city. A scornful refusal 
was followed by a siege which lasted three weeks. It was carried on 
with a few light cannons and mortars jnountcd upon brittle ice redoubts, 
the men exposed to almost daily snow-storms in tlie open fields. 

On the early morning of the last 
day of the year 1775 the little be- 
sieging army attempted to take 
(ijuebec by storm. Tiie force Av;i.s 
divided. One portion was led by 
Montgomery on the St. Lawrence 
side of the town ; the other portion 
was led by Arnold on tlio St. 
Charles side. Tliey were to meet 
and attempt a forced entrance into 
the city througli Prescott Gate at 
Mountain Street. Just before 
dawn, while he was pressing for- 
ward at the head of the New York 
troojis in the face of a blinding 
snowstorm, Montgomery w;is killed 
by a grape-shot from a masked bat- 
tery at the foot of Cape Diamond. 
Arnold had been wounded and sent to a hospital. After a fnrtlier strug- 
gle the British made a sortie through Palace Gate and captured the whole 
of Arnold's division. Arnold, now in chief command, retreated a few 
miles up the St. Lawrence, and for a while blockaded the garrison at 
Quebec. He M'as soon succeeded in command by General Wooster,* 
Avlio came down from Montreal. 




nAvm woosTKU ix 1758. 



* David Woostcr was Ixirii iit Stratford, Conn., March ad. 1710. and wa.s educated at 
Yale College. He performed excellent military service anion-; provincial forces before 
the Revolution. lie wa,s colonel of a Connecticut regiment, and iK'canie a brigadier- 
general in the French and Indian ^Yar. lie wsus with Allen iind Arnold at the capture of 
Ticondcroga in 1775 ; wa-s in command in Canada, witli the commission of a brigadier- 
general, in the spring of 1776, and on hi.< return wsis made first major-general of Con- 
• necticut militia. Opposing the inva.sion of his Slate in tlic spring of 1777, he was fatally 
wounded in a skirmish at Uidgefleld, and died on May 2d. 



GfENERAL SCHUYLER AXI) SIR J. .lOIINSOX. 



231 



General Scliuyler liad just lieanl of tlie death of Montgomery, when 
he was called up the Moliawk Valley to disarm the Tories of Tryon 
County. It was evident tliat Sir John Johnson and his retainers were 
preparing for au active armed alliance with the British in Canada. 
Schuyler, acting under instructions from the Continental Congress, called 
for seven hundred militia to assist him. The response was marvellous. 
Before he reached Caughnawaga on the Mohawk, a few miles from 
Johnson Hall, he had three thou- 
sand armed followers, including 
nine hundred of the Tryon County 
militia. 

By appointment Schuyler met 
the baronet at tlie late residence 
of Guy Johnson, o!i the Mohawk, 
from whom he demanded, as terms 
of peace, the immediate cessation 
of all hostile demonsti'ations ; the 
surrender of all arms, ammunition, 
and stores in the possession of 
Johnson ; the delivery to him of 
all the arms and accoutrements 
held by the Tories and Indians, and 
Sir John's parole of honor not to 
act inimically to the patriot cause. 
Sir Jolin was compelled to comply with the terms, and gave his pledge.* 

On January 19th (1776) the expedition \inder Schuyler was at Johns- 
town, where the arms and military stores were delivered up, and at noon 
the next day nearly three hundred Scotch Highlanders laid down their 
arms before a line of armed militia in the streets of Johnstown. The 
Mohawks meanwhile had remained neutral. "With six Scottish chiefs 
and more than one liuiulred Tory prisoners, and some heavy guns as 
trophies, Schuyler marched l)ack to Albany. He had disarmed between 
six and seven hundred Tories, conciliated the Mohawks, and diluted 




SIR JOHN .lOnNSON. 



* Sir .Tohu Johnson was born in 1743 ; died at Montreal June 4th, 1830. In 1774 lie 
■was appoiuti'd major-general of the New York militia. He was an active Tory and 
British jiartisan during the old war for independence, and ]irodue(.'d great distress among 
the patriotic inhabitants of the -Alohawk Valley by participation with the Indians on their 
destructive forays with his " Royal Greens," a partisan corps. lie went to England, but 
returned in 1785 and resided in Canada, where he was made Superintendent of Indian 
Affairs. He was also a member of the Legislative Coimeil of Canada. To compensate 
liim for his losses, the British Government made him grants of land in Canada. 



232 THE KMPIKK ST.VTE. 

the loyalty of some of the most ])i-<jiiiiiieiit leaders among the Six 
oSations. 

During tlio suiiinior and fall of 177.") stirring events occnn-ed in the 
city of New York. The course of Governor Tryon was so evidently 
hostile to the Ivepuhlican cause that the Provincial Congress, now 
governed by the popular will, and perceiving a resort to arms to be 
inevitable, ordered Captain John Lamb, then recruiting an artillery com- 
pany, to take the cannons from the fort and the grand battery to a place of 
safety. With a small military force and a body of citizens led by Cap- 
tain Sears, lie went to the Battery at nine o'clock in tiie evening (August 
25th) and began the task. A bullet was sent among the people from a 
barge filled with armed men from the Asia, which was concealed near 
by. A volley was returned, and the barge, bearing several men killed 
and wounded, hastened back to the A-sta. That vessel immediately 
hurled three cannon shots ashore in quick succession. Lamb ordered the 
drums to boat to arms. The church-bells rang out an alarum ; and 
while all was confusion and fear broadside after broadside of grape-shot 
from the Asia was fired upon the town, injuring several houses ;* but 
no life was sacrificed. Believing that the town was to be sacked and 
l)urnt, hundreds of men, women, and children were seen at midnight 
hurrying away with their light effects to places of safety in the sul)urbs. 
Yet the patriots at the Battery stood firm, and in the face of the can- 
nonade from the Asia every gun was removed. There were twenty-one 
iron 18-]>ounders and some smaller cannons. 

The conduct of the commander of the Asia caused intense exaspera- 
tion among the patriots, and Govei'nor Tryon, taking counsel of 
l)rudence and his feai-s, sought refuge from the wrath of the people on 
board a British ship-of-war in the harbor. From that aquatic " palace*' 
he attempted to rule the province. There his Cotincil joined him.f 
But royal authority was at an end at New York forever. 

Hivington, the loyal printer, had changed the name of his newspaper 
to the Iioyal Gazette^ and was using his great intluence as a journalist in 

* Among tlip liouscs iiijurpd at that time was the tavern of Samuel Fraunce, a West 
Indian l)y birth, anil of such a ilark eomplexiou tliat he was familiarly known as " Black 
Sam." His liouse was on the corner of Broad and Pearl streets. Freneau. in his 
" P('tition of H\igh Gains," makes that time-.serving journalist say, in alluding to the 
cannonade of the A»ia: 

•'At flret wo Hiipposcd it was only a 8liam, 
Till he drove a round ball through tlie roof of Black Sani." 

\ The members of his Council who joined him were : Oliver dc Lancey, Hugh Wallace, 
William Axtelle, John Harris C'ruger, and James Jauncev. 



SEARS' RAID ON A PRINTING OFFICE. 



233 



fostering Toryism in the province. He abused the Sons of Liberty 
(especially Captain Sears) in his paper without stint. Fired by personal 
insult and patriotic zeal. Sears went to Connecticut, and at noou on a 
bright day in xfovember (25th) he entered the city at the head of seventy- 
five light horeenien, proceeded to tlie printing establishment of Riving- 
ton* at the foot of Wall Street, placed a guard around it, put the type 
into bags, destroyed the press 
and other appurtenances, and 
then rode out of the city amid 
the shouts of the populace and 
to the tune of Yankee Doodle. 
The type was cast into bullets 
Eivington finding New York 
too hot for him, fled to England, 
but returned the next year, when 
British troops held possession of 
the city, and resumed the publi- 
cation of his Gazetteer. 

Notwithstanding this action 
and the aggressive zeal of the 
Republicans, disaffection to their 
cause extensively prevailed 
throughout the province of 
New York during the winter 
of 1775-76. In Queens County, 

on Long Island, many of the people began to arm in favor of the crown, 
and from his floating refuge in the harbor Governor Tryon kept up a 
continual correspondence with Mayor Matthews, Oliver de Lancey, and 
other Loyalists on shore. The Continental Congress as vigorously 
opposed his influence, and took measures to disarm the Tories every- 
where, while Washington, besieging Boston, kept a vigilant eye upon all 
that might harm the colouv of New York. 




JAMES RnTXGTOX. 



* James Rivington, the " King's printer" in New York, was a native of England. 
Failing in business as a bookseller in London, he came to America in 1760 and opened a 
book-store in Philadelphia. He ojjened another the following year at the foot of Wall 
Street, in New York. He printed books, and in 1TT3 he began the publication of the 
Royal Qazetteer, a weekly newspaper. After the Revolutionary War began he took 
strong ground in favor of the crown, and so continued imtil the close of the contest. It 
seems to be a well-attested fact that Rivington played false to the Royalists, and furnished 
much information to Washington. He, an apparent Anti-Loyalist, was permitted to 
remain in the city unmolested when, at the evacuation in 1783, hundreds of lesser sinners 
were compelled to Uee. He died in July, 1802, at the age of seventy-eight years. 



234 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

Wlien, in .Taniiiin', lT7<i, Sir Iluiiry Clinton, witli a consideriiMe force, 
sailed from Bcstun, Washington, helieviiig 2sew York to be his destina- 
tion, sent General Charles Lee tliither, instructed to gather a force on 
his way and take a position to defend that city. "With niarvullons 
rapidity Luc collected about twelve hundred men and encamped with 




skinati:kk ok .iamks uivixutok. 



then^ in " The Fields" on the verge of the city, in spite of the protests 
of the Committee of Safety, who had been made timid by a threat of the 
conimander of the Asia that he would bombard tiie town if " reiiel 
troops"' were allowed to enter it. Lee made liis headcpiarters at No. 1 
Broadway and issued a pi'oclamation, in wiiich he said : 

" I come to prevent the occupation of Long Island and the city by the 
enemies of liberty. If the ships-of-war are quiet I shall be ijuiet ; if 
they make my presence a pretext for firing upon the town, the first house 
set in flames by their guns shall be the fnneral-pile of some of their best 
friends. ' ' 

At these brave words the Tories shrunk into inactivity ; the Provincial 
Congress felt a glow of patriotism, and measures were immediately 
adopted for fortifying the city and the approaches to it, and garrisoning 
it with two thousand men.* Sir Henry Clinton arrived at Sandy Ilook 
on the day when Lee entered the city. Informed of Lee's presence, he 
sailed southward. Lee followed by land, leaving the little army at Xew 
York in charjie of Lord Stirlins'. In June followinii Lee and Clinton 
M'cre in conflict in Ciiarleston Harbor. 

Washington prosecuted the siege of Boston with as nmch vigor as cir- 
cumstances would allow, and in Mai'ch, 177(5, he drove General Howe 
and his troops from the town literally into tlie sea. He allowed them to 
evacuate Boston (Marcii 17th) and to sail away quietly and unmolested, 
accompanied by a large numl)er of Loyalists, wiio fled before the indig- 
nation of a multitude of Whigs whom they had persecuted for months. 

* For a description of tlic forlifications thus erected, sec Lossing's Pirtorinl Field Book 
of the lierolution. Vol. II., J). .5i«, iwti. 



A COXSPIRACY AGAIXST THE LIFE OF WASIIIXGTOX. 



235 



Howe sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the following summer lie 
appeared with a large armed force before Xew York City, borne thither 
in a fleet commanded by his brother, Lord Howe, and took possession of 
Stateii Island. 

Suspecting Howe had sailed for jSTew York, Wasliington, with a larger 
])art of his army, hastened to that 
city immediately after the evacuation 
of Boston, and held it until Sep- 
tember. 

During the heats of the summer 
Washington made his headquarters 
at Richmond Hill, far " out of 
town," with the bulk of his army 
encamped near by. Tryon was yet 
at his floating headquarters in the 
Duchess of Gordon war-ship plot- 
ting, plotting, plotting with his 
friends on shore for the ruin of the 
Kepublican cause. He formed a 
plan for the murder of Washington 
and his principal officers, or for their 
arrest and transportation to England 

to be tried for treason, and the capture of the troops on Maidiattan 
Island. He sent money ashore freely for purposes of bribery. The 
Life Guard of AVashington* was tampered with, and two of them were 
.seduced from their fidelity. To one of them, an Irishman named 
Hickey, was intrusted the task of destroying Washington. He knew 
that his commander was very fond of green peas, and he resolved to 




trZAL KNAPP. 



* Washington's Life Guard was organized in tlie autumn of 1TT6 on Harlem Heights, 
and consisted of one hundred and eighty picked men, first commanded by Caleb Gibbs, 
of Rhode Island, with the rank of captain. William Colfax was the last commander. 
The special service of the Life Guard was to guard the headquarters of the commander- 
in-chief, but they were never spared in battle. The last survivor of Washington's Life 
Guard was L'zal Knapp, who died in the town of New Windsor, Orange County, N. T., 
in January. 1857, when he was a little more than ninety-seven years of age. He was a 
native of Stamford, Conn. . and was a sergeant in the Guard. Over liis grave near Wasli- 
ington 's Headquarters at New burgh is a handsome mausoleum of brown freestone, made 
from designs by H. K. Brown, the sculptor. 

The sketch on the following page of the banner of the Guard was copied from one in the 
museum at .\Iexandria. Va., in 1848, deposited there by George Washington Parke Custis. 
The figure of the guardsman shows the uniform of the Guard. It consists of a blue coat 
with white facings, white waistcoat and breeches, black half gaiters, a cocked hat with a 
blue and white feather. The banner was white silk. 



3^^r, 



TlIK K.Ml'lKE STATK. 



slay him l)y jiDisoii ini.\L'<l in a <]isli of tlieiu to l>o set Ijefore liim at 
dinner. 

lliekey tried to iiiako tlie general's liousekeeper, a faitlifnl maiden, an 
accomplice in tlie deed by placing tlie poison in tlie pens. Siie pre- 
tended to favor iiis plans. At the appointed time for placing the savory 
dish before the general Ilickey watched her movements through a half- 
opened door. The general made some excuse for ordering the disli 
away without tasting the peas. Tlie girl liad forewarned him. Ilickey 
was arrested, found guilty, and lianged on a tree l.Tuno 2Sth, 17T<>) in 
the presence of fully twenty thousand people. It was the lirst military 
execution in tlie Continental Army. Mayor IVIatthews and more than 

twenty others were ar- 
rested on suspicion of 
complicity in tlie plot, 
but only Ilickey suffer- 
ed. The plot was traced 
directly to Tryon as its 
auth(ir. 

At tills juncture the 
V c» I Continental Congress, 

now become a permanent 
ijody, sitting at Phila- 
dc'ljiliia, were engaged 
in the discussion of a 
most important matter. 
The peojilc in general 
until lately had not ex- 
pressed a desire for po- 
litical independence of 
Great Britain. There 
were a few wlio had warmly advocated it for some time. At the be- 
ginning of 1770 Thomas Paine, an English radical living in Philadelphia, 
put forth a powerful i)ami)]ilet, at the suggestion of Dr. Hush, in which 
he pleaded earnestly for independence. It was termed Common Sense. 
In terse, sharp, incisive, and vigorous sentences bristling with logic, he 
embodied the sentiments of retlectiuij men and wumeii throughout the 
colonies. 

"Independence," he .said, "is now the only bond that will keep us 
together. We shall then be on a ])roi3er footing to treat with Great 
Pritaiu. . . . Every quiet method for peace hath lieen ineffectual. 
Our prayers liave i)een rejected with disdain. Reconciliation is now a 




HANXEK OF WASmNflldN S 1,IFE GfAliD. 



PALN'E'S PLEA FOR rNDEPEXDE>XE. 237 

fallacious dream. Bring tlie doctrine of reconciliation to the touch- 
stone of nature ; can you hereafter love, honor, and faithfully serve the 
power that hath carried fire and sword into your land ? Ye that tell us 
of harmony, can you restore us to the time that is past { The blood of 
the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, ' ' Tis time to part. ' The 
last chord is now broken ; the people of England are now presenting 
addresses against us. A government of our own is a natural right. Ye 
that love mankind, that dare oppose not only tyranny but the tyrant, 
stand forth ! Every spot of the old world is overrun with oppression. 
Freedom hath been hunted round the globe. Asia and Africa hath long 
expelled her ; Europe regards her like a stranger ; and England hath 
given her warning to depart. Oh, receive the fugitive and prepare an 
asylum for mankind I" 

The effect of this pamphlet was marvellous. It carried dismay into 
the enemy's camp. One hundred thousand copies were sent Ijroadcast 
over the land, and produced an almost universal desire for independence 
among the people, for its trumpet tones awakened the continent and 
made every patriotic heart thrill with joy. It gave expression to a 
feeling that already filled the hearts of the people and was waiting for a 
voice. 

Very soon legislative bodies began to move in the matter. Xortli 
Carolina was the first colony that took positive action. It authorized its 
delegates in Congress to " concur -^vith those of other colonies in declar- 
ing independence." Other colonies did the same. Others permitted 
their deputies to do so. and still others refused assent and were silent. 
Among the latter were Xew York, South Carolina, and Georgia. 

At length the Continental Congress moved in favor of independence, 
satisfied that the people were ripe for it. In April they recommended 
the several provincial assemblies to form State governments. General 
letters of marque and reprisal were granted, and the American ports 
were opened to all nations excepting the British. Finally on June 7th, 
on motion of Eiehard Henry Lee, of Tirginia (seconded by John 
Adams, of Massachusetts), the Congress resolved that the colonies were, 
and of right ought to be, free and independent States, and that all 
political connection Ijetween them and the State of Great Britain was, 
and ought to be, dissolved. 

The consideration of this resolution was deferred, and a committee was 
appointed to draw up a formal declaration of causes for the action. The 
resolution was debated from time to time for nearly a month. It was 
adopted on July 2d by the unanimous vote of the colonies mot of the 
representatives), and on July ith the Declaration, written by Thomas 



238 TIIK KMPIHK STATIC. 

Jefferson, was adopted l>y the same vote. The Declaration was signed 
on the same day by all the meml)ers who voted for it, when it was 
]>rinted and sent out in every direction bearing tiie signatures of only 
John Hancock, president, and Charles Tliomson, secretary. It M-as 
engrossed on parchment and signed afterward. 

Toward evening cm July 9tli the Declaration of Independence was 
read to a brigade of tlie Continental .\riiiy in New York City, whicli 
was drawn np in a hollow square on tlie site of the City Hall. Wash- 
ington was present. The Declaration was read in a clear voice by one 
of his aides. At early twilight the excited populace, citizens and 
soldiers, were led to the Bowling Green, where they attached ropes to 
the equestrian statue of (ieorgo HI. erected there, as we have observed, 
in 1770 (see page 199), and man and horse were pulled headlong to the 
ground. The statue, made of lead, was broken into fragments, and a 
large portion of it was cast into bullets wliich were afterward used by 
the Continental soldiers. " So," wrote a contemporary, " the British 
had melted majesty hurled at them." 

A sudden change in action now appeared in the newly-elected Pro- 
vincial Congress of !Xew York. A large British force, just landed on 
Staten Island, mms menacing the city. The Congress adjourned to 
White Plains, in Westchester County, and reassembled there on July 
9th. They emphatically approved the Declaration of Independence,* 
and changed the title of their body to " Convention of Bepresentatives 
of the State of Xew York," though the State was not yet organized. 
That measure was then under con.sideration. 

It was now clearly manifest that the province of Xew York was to be 
the theatre of the first great effort to crusli the '' rebellion" iu accord- 
ance with a plan devised by tlie British Ministry the year before, and 
which had been partially revealed. It contemplated the seizure of New 
York and Albany, and to strongly garrison both cities ; to declare all 
persons " rebels" who should oppose the royal troops ; to take possession 
of the Hudson and East rivers with small armed vessels, and so to form 
a strong line of military power between New England and the rest of 
the colonies, extending from Manhattan Island through the valleys of 

* The Declaration was referred to a committee, of whieh .John .lay was chairman, 
lie almost instantly reported the following resolution, which was adopted : 

"UexDlnd, vnaniiiiouxl)/. That the rea-sous assigned by the Continental Congress for 
declaring these united colonies free and indef)cndenl States are cogent and conclusive, 
and that, while we lament the cruel necessity which has rendered the measure imavoid- 
able, we approve the same, and will, at the risk of our lives and fortiuies, join with the 
otlier colonies in .supporting it,'' 



A COMMITTEE OF CONGRESS SENT TO CANADA. 



239 



the Hiidson to Ciinada ; to retake the forts on Lake Champlaiu, and 
with regulars, Canadians, Tories, and Indians, easily make destnictivo 
irruptions into New England and Pennsylvania. This would secure a 
safe communication between Quebec and, New York, separate and 
weaken the most imiDortant colonies, and make the suljjugation of all the 
colonies an easy task. This plan was devised by the ministry after the 
battle of Bunker (Breed's) Hill, and was made known to members of 



Cf * Pf 





SAMUEL CHASE. 



-4 }»-*?^_-- 
BENJAMIN FR.^NKLIN. CHAKLES CARROLL. 



the New York Provincial Congress by a letter from London during that 
summer. 

The Continental Congress, satisfied that such a plan of subjugation 
was to be attempted, perceived the necessity of forming an alliance with 
Canada or achieving its conquest, and in the sjiring of ITTfi Dr. Franklin, 
Samuel Chase, and Charles Carrol], of Carrollton, were sent into thut 
province invested with extraordinary powers. They were accompanied 
by Eev. John Carroll, a Koman Catholic priest. They were authorized 
to regulate all military matters in the Republican army there ; to treat 
with the Canadians as friends and i)rethren ; to organize a republic 
there, and to admit Canada into union with the colonies they represented. 

The commissioners were cordially received at Montreal,* but circum- 



* The commissioners were entertained at New York by Lord Stirlinsr, and set sail up 
the Hudson in a sloop furnished by him for the puriwse at five o'cloeli p.>r. , April 2(1, 1776. 
They came to anchor off the upper end of Manhattan Island, and lay there twenty-four 
hours because of a heavy north-east storm. They proceeded, and had a perilous voyage 



240 THE EMPIHE STATE. 

stances rendered their mission futile. Tiie British Government had 
hired thousands of sohhers from petty German princes to assist in enshiv- 
ing its subjects in America. Some of these, under the command of 
General de Riedesel, with Britisii re-enforcements commanded by Sir 
John Burgoyne, arrived at Quebec early in May (1770), and very soon 
the little Itepiiblicun army in Canada, sorely smitten with tlie scourge 
of sraall-po.K, \v;is driven out of that province. 

General John Thomas, a brave and skilful officer, had been sent bv 
"Washington to take command of the Republican troops in Canada and 
attempt a i-etrieval of losses there. lie i-eached the camp near Quel)ec 
late in April (1776). The arrival of British re-enforcements there com- 
pelled him to retreat up the St. Lawrence. lie continued his retreat to 
the Sorel, where he died of small-po.x, when the command devolved 
npon General Sullivan. That officer stniggled bravely with fate, but 
was compelled to yield to a superior force. Witli tlie shattered remnant 
of the Ilepublican army he retreated to Crown Point. Of Kve thousand 
troops gathered there, poorlv clad, fed, and sheltered, fully one half 
were sick early in July. The jS'ortliorn army had lost, by death and 
desertion, fully five thousand men. 

So ended in disaster that remarkable invasion. The incidents of its 
execution rank among the most startling and romantic in the annals of 
war." 

We have observed that Sir John Johnson gave his parole of honor to 
remain cpiiet. Early in May (1770) Schuyler was informed that Sir 
John, with Brant and others, w;is holding conferences with the Indians 
and inciting them to war, and that the baronet was preparing to make 
hostile movements in Tryon County with his Scotch retainers and the 
barbarians. Colonel Elias Dayton, a judicious officer, wixs sent with a 
competent force to Johnstown to arrest the baronet and take him to 
Albany, with his Scotch retainers and their families. When Dayton 

through the Highlands, for the storm continued. When it abated they sailed with a fair 
wind and plea-sant weather to Albany, where they were hospitably entertained by General 
Schuyler. Charles Carroll wrote : " He lives in pretty style ; hjis two daughters (Betsy 
and Peggj-), lively, agreeable, black-eyed gals. " "Peggy" became Jlr.s. (Patroon) Van 
Kensselaer, and " Betsy" Mrs. General Hamilton. The general conveyed them tii-st to 
his country-.seat at Saratoga, and thence to liakc George, where he had i)rei)ared for tliem 
a stout bateau. They crossed the lake among floating ice. Their bateau was drawn 
over to Lake Champlain (four miles) by six yoke of oxen. Tliere the eonmii.ssioners 
(lubarked on it and voyaged to St. .Johns, at the foot of the lake, and thence, by land, 
to Montreal in calechen — two-wheeled vehicles. 

* For a more minute account of this invasion, see Lossing's Life and Time» of PJiilip 
Schuyler. 



SIR JOHN JOHNSON AND HIS FOLLOWERS. 241 

arrived the baronet had fled to tlie forest, and Lady Johnson assured 
him tliat her husband was on liis way to Niagara with his retainers, and 
that liis enemies would " soon hear where he was." 

Lady Johnson was a spirited woman, a daughter of John Watts, one 
of the king's provincial councillors. Dayton informed her that measures 
would l)e taken to frustrate her husband's designs, and that she must 
accompany him to Albany. She was then conveyed thither, where she 
was treated with all the delicacy due to her sex and her social position. 
She was retained there some time as a hostage for the good behavior of 
her husband. 

Sir John and his followers did not go to Niagara, but started for the 
St. Lawrence. They suffered intensely from weariness and starvation 
on the M'ay, and reached that river in a wretched plight some distance 
above Montreal. The baronet was immediately commissioned a brig- 
adier-general in the British service. lie raised two battalions — a total 
of one thousand men — composed of his immediate followers and other 
American loyalists who followed his example in deserting their country, 
and these formed that active and formidable corps known in the frontier 
warfare of that ])eriod in Northern and Central New York as the 
"Roval Greens." 



243 THE EMPIHE STATE. 



CirAPTKR XVTI. 

An arrangement had Ijuuii made \>y tlie l>ritisli Cabinet to attack the 
Americans in 1776 simultaneously at tliree j)oints. Sir llenrv Clinton 
■was to invade the Southern co]ouie6 ; General Sir John Burgoyne was to 
clear Canada of the " rebels ;" and General Howe, with the main army of 
thirty thousand men, including twelve thousand Germans, was to seize 
and occupy Xew York City, and thence form a junction with Burgoyne 
at Albany. 

At the close of June General Howe arrived at Sandy Hook from 
Halifax with a hlrge army, in transports, and on July Stli landed nine 
thousand troops on Staten Island, where he awaited the arrival of his 
brother, Admiral Lord Howe, with British regulars and some of the 
German hirelings. 

Sir Henry Clinton joined Howe on the lltli with troops from Charles- 
ton, S. C, where tliey had co-operated with Admiral Sir Peter Parker's 
fleet in an unsuccessful attack upon Fort Moultrie, on June 2Sth. That 
conflict raged furiously about ten houi-s, when the terribly shattered fleet 
withdrew, and the seaworthy vessels sailed with the army for Sandy 
Hook. 

Admiral Howe arrived at Sandy Hook on the 12th, and \(iry soon 
other vessels came with (Tcrman mercenaries. When August arrived 
nearly thirty thousand veteran soldiers stood ready to fall upon the 
llupublican army (who were mostly militia, and nearly one fourth of 
them sick and unfit for duty), then occupying the city of Xew York, 
under the immediate command of Washington. 

General Howe and his brother appeared in the twofold character of 
peace commissioners and as military commanders empowered to make 
war. They were authorized to treat for peace, but only on the condition 
of absolute suljmission on the part of the Americans. They were also 
authorized to grant pardons and amnesty to penitents. They made a 
most silly blunder at the outset in endeavoring to open negotiations with 
Washington by sending him a letter addressed to " George Washington, 
Esq." The general refused to receive it unless addressed to him b\' his 
military title. This the commissioners were instnicted not to do : also 
not to recognize the Congress in an official capacity. Howe's adjutant- 
general (Major Patterson) was sent with another co)umunication. It was 



A BRITISH AK.MAMKXT BEFORE NEW YORK. 243 

not received, but lie was admitted to tlie presence of Wasliiugtoi). He 
expressed a hope that reconciliation might be effected, and said the com- 
missioners had large powers. " Thej have power only to grant pardon," 
said Washington. "The Americans are only defending their rights as 
British subjects, and have been guilty of no act requiring pardon," lie 
continued. Here ended the interview. 

Admiral Howe, who was personally acquainted with Dr. Franklin and 
most sincerely desired reconciliation, wrote to that gentleman on his first 
arrival. The doctor's reply satisfied the earl that his Government mis- 
apprehended the temper of the American people, and that Franklin 
expressed the sentiments of the Continental Congress when he wrote at 
the conclusion of his letter: " This war against us is both unjust and 
nnwise ; posterity will condemn to infamy those who advised it ; and 
even success will not save from some degree of dishonor those who 
voluntarily engage in it." Here the commissioners paused in efforts to 
negotiate, and prepared immediately to strike the '" rebellion" an 
effectual blow. 

Already British ships-of-war had run up the Hudson Kiver past 
American batteries, and were menacing the country in the rear of ^lan- 
hattaii Island with the intention of keeping open a free communication 
with Canada and facilities for furnishing arms to Tories in the interior. 
In the city of Xew York a majority of the influential inhabitants were 
active or passive Tories. The provincial authorities were yet acting 
timidly. In this exigency Washington appealed to the country. It 
was nobly responded to by the farmers of Connecticut, New York, 
Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, where harvest-fields needed 
tliem, and very soon they swelled the army at New York to about seven- 
teen thousand effective men. 

Both parties now prepared for an inevitable conflict. Hulks of vessels 
were sunk in the channel of the Hudson opposite the height on which 
Fort WashingtoJi was built. Fort Lee was erected on the Palisades 
beyond the river. Batteries were constructed at various points on 
Manhattan Island, and troops under the command of General Greene 
were sent over the East River to erect fortifications on Long Island back 
of Brooklyn. Greene was soon prostrated by fever, and resigned the 
command to General Sullivan, who had lately come from Lake Cham- 
plain. Small detachments were placed on Governor's Island and at 
Paulus's Hook (now Jersey City), and some militia were posted in lower 
Westchester County under General James Clinton to oppose the landing 
of British troops on the shores of Long Island Sound. Sullivan placed 
guards at several passes through a range of wooded hills on Long Island 



244 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

extending from tlie Narrows to Janiaiea. Late in Angust tlie Aiiieri- 
oans had a line of defences exteiuling from (present) Greenwood Cem- 
etery to tlie Xavy Yard, a distance of nearly two miles. Tlicse were 
armed with twenty cannons, and there was a strong redoubt with seven 
great guns on Brooklyn lleiglits. 

On August 2()th from twelve to fifteen tliousand liritish troops were 
landed at the western end of Long Island. Washington immediately 
sent over a small re-enforcenient to the Americans near Erooklyn, placed 
General Putnam in chief command on Long Island, and ordered General 
Sullivan to connnaiid the troops outside the lines. On that evening the 
British began an advance in three divisions. Their left, under General 
Grant, moved along tlie road nearest New York Bay ; their riglit, under 
Sir Henry Clinton and Earl Coniwallis, accompanied by Howe, moved 
toward the interior of the island, and their centre, composed of Germans 
and led Ity General L)e Heister, advanced by Flatbnsh. The British had 
then afloat in adjacent waters ten ships of the line, twenty frigates, some 
bomb-ketehes, and almost three hundred and fifty transports. The 
American troojw on Long Island did not exceed eight thousand in 
mimber. 

Informed that his pickets at the lower pass below (Treenwood liad been 
driven in, Putnam sent General Lord Stirling with some Delaware and 
Maryland troops to confront the enemy. He unexpectedly met a large 
force. Planting his only two cannons upon a wooded height (" Battle 
II ill " in Greenwood), he waited for the coming enemy, to give battle. 

Meanwhile the Germans were pushing forward to force their way 
through the Flatbnsh Pass (now in Prospect Park, its ])lace marked by 
an inscription), while Clinton and Coniwallis were eagerly pressing on to 
gain the Bedford and Jamaica passes. The latter had been neglected by 
Putnam, and having no defenders, Clinton easily seized it. "While 
Sullivan was defending the Flatbnsh Pass against De Ileister, the 
baronet with a strong f((rce descended from the woods and attacked the 
Americans there on flank and rear. Sullivan attempted to retreat to the 
Aniui-ican lines, but failed, an<l with a large portion of his men he was 
made a prisoner. 

Stirling and his ])arty were now the only Americans in the field with 
unbroken ranks. They fought Grant's column with spirit for four 
hours. Then Cornwallis descended the Port or Mill Koad with the bulk 
of Clinton's column and fell upon Stirling. The latter ordered a 
retreat, but the bridge over Gowanns Creek was in flames and the tide 
MMs rising. There was no alternative but to wade the creek. He 
ordered one half of liis troops, with some German prisoners, to cross the 



A XOTABLE RETKKAT FROM LONG ISLAND. 



24» 



muddy cluiunel, while lie and the rest should tight Cornwallis. Stirling 
M-as finally overcome and was made a prisoner."-^ By noon the victory 
for the British was complete. The Americans had lost about five hun- 
dred men killed and wounded, and one hundred and eleven made prisoners. 
The victors encamped in front of the American lines and prepared to 
hesiege them. 

Washington, who had beheld these movements with great anxiety, 
crossed the river on the morning 
of the 2Sth, and was rejoiced to 
■find the British encamped and de- 
laying an attack until their fleet 
should co-operate with them. He 
at once conceived a plan for the 
salvation of his imperilled little 
army. He resolved to attempt a 
retreat across the river to New 
York under the shadow of the 
ensuing night. Providentially a 
dense fog which overspread both 
armies at midnight and covered the 
whole region gave him essential 
aid. It did not disperse until after 
sunrise the next morning, when, 
nnder its sheltering wing and im- 

suspected by the British, the whole American army had passed the 
stream in boats and bateaux, carrying everything with them except- 
ing heavy cannons. Washington and his staff, who had been in the 
saddle all night, remained on the Brooklyn side of the river until the 
last boat-load had departed. 

Immediately after the battle General Howe again proposed to treat 
for peace. This was a reason for his delay in attacking the American 
camp. He sent a verbal message to the Continental Congress, whose 

* William Alexauder (Lord Stirling) was born in New York City in 1T30, a son of 
Secretary Alexander, of New Jersey. Attached to the commissariat of the British Army 
in Amcricji, he attracted the notice of General Sliirley, who made him his private secre- 
tary. He went to Scotland in 17.55. and unsuccessfully presented his claim to the 
Earldom of Stirling-. It was generally believed that his claim was just, and he ever after- 
ward bore the empty thle of " Lord Stirling," in America. In 1776 he was coniniis.sioned 
a brigadier-general in the Continental .Vrmy, and .served with distinction during the war 
then begun. He married a daughter of William Livingston, of New .lersey. He was 
one of the founders of the New York Society Library and King's (now Columbia) 
College. Lord Stirling died Jime loth, 1783. 




LORD STIRLING. 



24C 



Tin; KMI'IKi; ST.VTK. 



authority he liad hcen instructed not to recognize, proposing an informal 
conference with any persons Avlioni tliat l)0(ly inigiit appoint. (Congress 
consented, and early in 8ej)tenil)cr Dr. Franklin, John Adams, and 
Edward Riitledge met Howe at a house on Staten Island opposite 
Amlioy, known as the '* Billop House.''" The meeting was friendly, 
lint liarren of expected fruit, llowe could not meet the three gentle- 
men as mcmhcrs of Congress, hut only :is private citizens ; and lie 
informed them that the independence of the colonies would not he 
considered for a moment. The gulf iietween them w;is imjjassahle, and 
tlie conference soon ende(h 

The disaster on Long Island dislieartened the American arniv, and 




TIIK BILI-OI" HOUSE. 

hundreds deserted and went home. (Tcneral insuhordination prevailed, 
and the army \vas weakened hy the practice of many vices. Drunken- 
ness was very common, and licentiousness poisciued the regiments. The 
outlook was extremely gloomy, and it was determined to take tlie sick 
and M-ounded to New Jersey, the military stores up the Hudson to 
Dohhs Ferry, ahandon the city, and estahlish a fortified camp on 
Harlem Heights, near Fort Washington, toward the upper part of 
Manhattan Island. f 



* Tills house was the residence of Captain Christopher Hillop, formerly of the British 
Navy. It WHS now aban(lone<l hy llie faniily. It stoml upon hiirh jrroiind opposite I'erth 
Anihoy. 

f Washington, in his retreat from the city to Hurleni Iliijrhls. made his headiiiiarters 
liir a day or two at the home of Robeil Jlurray on (present) Murray Hill, where he gave 
iiistruelions to Captain Nathan Hale, who had vohuiteered to visit the British camp on 
Lonjr Island, in disguise, and obtain information. While on that business Hale was recog- 
nized and expo.scd. He was arrested, sent to Howe's heathiuarters at Turtle Bay, East 
Kiver (at Forty-seventh Street), and hanged as a spy by the notorious provost-marshal, 



BATTLE OX IIARLEJI PLAINS. 247 

General Howe was indolent and fond of sensual j^leasures. Procras- 
tination marred many of his plans. When he found the Americans had 
escaped he leisurely prepared to invade Manhattan Island in the rear of 
the American army there. Before ho M'as ready to do so that army 
was so strongly intrenched upon Harlem Heights that they defied him. 
Washington made his headcpiarters at the home of his companion-in-arms 
on the field of Monongahela, Roger Morris, which is yet standing. 

After various menacing movements had been made, a strong British 
force crossed tlie East River (September loth) from Long Island and 
landed at Kip's Bay, at the foot of (present) Thirty-foxirth Street, under 
cover of a cannonade. The American guard there fled, but were soon 
rallied. So long delayed were the movements of the British toward the 
Hudson River that Putnam, who had been left in the city with a few 
troops, was enabled to escape to Harlem Heights. 

On the following day some British infantry and Scotch High- 
landers, led by General Leslie, encountered some Connecticut Rangers 
and a force of Virginians, under Colonel Knowlton and Major Leitch, 
on Harlem Plains. They fought desperately until Washington sent 
some re-enforcements, when the enemy was forced back to tlie high rocky 
ground at the upper end of Central Park. Tliis affair greatly inspirited 
the Americans, though they were compelled to mourn the loss of Colonel 
Knowlton and Major Leitch. 

General Robertson was now sent with a considerable force to take 
possession of the city, where the British intended to make their com- 
fortable M'inter cpiarters. AVhile his forces were reposing in their tents 
on the hills not far northward of the town, at midnight (September 
20th-21st j huge columns of lurid smoke arose above the houses. It was 
soon followed by arrows of flame that shot upward. A terrible con- 
flagration was begun. It broke out, by accident, in a low groggery and 
brothel at Whitehall, and as most of the Whig inhabitants had fled from 
the city, there were few to check the flames excepting the soldiers and 
the sailors from the ships in the harbor. About five hundred buildings 
were consumed, including Trinity Church, on Broadway. 

Howe, re-enforced by troops from Great Britain and more Germans, 
under the command of General Knyphausen, resolved to gain the rear 
of Washington's army, which he dared not attack in front. The 

Cunningham, ■who exercised the greatest cruelty toward the unfortunate young man. His 
last words were, as he stood under the tree vipon wliich he was lianged, with a rope 
around his neck : " I onl}^ regret that I have but one life to give to my country." Hale 
is justly regarded as a martyr to lumian liberty. Andre, who suffered for the same 
offence, was the victim of his own ambition. 



248 TlIK KMPIIiE STATE. 

Germans had come in seventy vessels, and nnmbercd ;il)out ten thousand 
men, swellinir Howe's forces to about tliirty-five thousand. On October 
I'Jth llowu embarked a hir<;e portion of Iiis army in ninety flat-boats and 
landed them on a Idw peiiinsnhi of the main of Westchester County. 
"Wasliinixton sent (ieneral Heath to confront tlie invaders and check 
their movements toward liis rear. 

Perceiving his peril, Washingtcm called a council of war, when it was 
resolved to evacuate ^fanhattan Island and take ])osition on the Bronx 
River in AVestchestcr, to meet the invaders face to face, or secure a safe 
retreat to the Hudson Iliji^hlands. Leaving a garrison of nearly three 
thousand men in Fort Wiishington, iinder Colonel Magavv, the army 
withdrew, and, marching up the valley of the Bronx, formed intrenched 
camps from the heights of Fordham to WJiite Plains. Washington 
made his headquarters near White Plains village on the 21st. General 
Greene commanded a small force whicli garrisoned Fort Lee, on the 
west side of the Jliulson. 

After almost daily skirmishing the two armies, each about thirteen 
thousaiul strong, met in battle array near the village of Wiiite Plains on 
October 2Sth. The strongest position of the Americans was behind 
breastworks upon Chatterton's Hill, a lofty eminence on the right side 
of the Bronx opposite the village. 

Howe's army advanced in two divisions, one led l)y Sir Henry Clinton, 
and the other by Generals De Heister and Erskine. Howe was with 
the latter. A hurried council of war was held by these officers on 
hoi-seback, when sonic troops, under cover of a heavy cannonade, pro- 
ceeded to build a rude bridge over the Bronx. Over this British troops 
crossed and drove the Americans from Chatterton's Hill. The Repub- 
licans retreated to their intrenched camp nearer the village, M'here they 
remained unmolested until the night of the 31st. Howe dared not 
attack the apparently formidable breastworks of Washington's intrench- 
ments, which were really composed chiefly of cornstalks slightly covered 
with earth. Tiie Americans withdrew in the night to a strong position 
on the heights of North Castle, five miles farther north. The British 
did not pursue. Washington with his main army cros.sed the Hudson 
and encamped between Fort Lee and ILickensack, in New Jersey. He 
left General Lee in command of a strong force at North Castle, with 
instructions to follow him into New Jersey if necessary, and he put 
Heath in command in the Hudson Highlands. 

Isolated Fort Washington, standing upon the highest land on the 
island, overlooking and commanding the Hudson River, between One 
Hmulred and Eighty-first Street and One Hundred and Eighty-sixth 



CAPTURE OF Ff)RT WASHIXGTON. 240 

Street, was tlie next point of attack bv the British under Howe. It 
was a five-sided earthwork, two hundred and tliirty feet above tide- 
water, a mile north of Washington's former headquarters at the Roger 
Morris home. It mounted thirty-four great guns, and it was defended 
by several outlying redoubts and batteries on the north and south, 
extending across the island between the Hudson and Harlem rivers. 

Howe procrastinated as usual, and it w;is the middle of November 
before he attacked Fort "Washington. On the morning of the 16th he 
put t"oops in motion for a simultaneous assault at four different points. 




THE JERSEY PBISOX-SHTP. 

They crossed the Harlem Eiver under cover of a cannonade. The troops 
were led, respectively, by General Knyphausen (who commanded the 
Germans), Lords Percy and Corawallis, General Mathews, and others. 
Before noon the occupants of supporting redoubts and batteries were 
driven into the fort. At one o'clock in the afternoon it had been 
surrendered, and the British tiaff was waving over it. Its uame was 
changed to Fort Knyphausen.* Twenty-six hundred men became 
prisoners of war, and many of them were long sufferers in the loathsome 
prisons of New York and the more loathsome prison-shij)s afloat in the 
surrounding waters. f 

* On the day of the final attack, Washington, with Gfenefals 5*utnam, Greene, and 
Mercer, crossed the river, ascended the heights, and went to the abandoned mansion of 
Roger Morris, where the commander-in-chief had established his headquarters on Harlem 
Heights. From that point they took a hasty ^iew of the scene of operatioas, and hastily 
departed. TVitliin fifteen minutes after they left the mansion the British Colonel Sterling 
with his victorious troops took possession of it. 

f Among the most notable of the.se pri.son-ships was the hulk of the Jirsei/, which was 
moored at the "Wallabout, now the site of the Xavj- Yard at Brooklyn. It was called 
"hell afloat." A greater portion of its inmates were captive American sailors. The 
most wanton outrages were suffered by the poor Wctims. The ntinilur of deaths in this 



250 Tin: K.MIMUE STATK. 

"Washinnton, satisticil that lluwe would now turn liis attention to the 
reileral City (Pliiladelpliiaj, where Congress M'as sitting, prepared to 
hasten to its defence. Fort Lee was abandoned, but before its stores 
could l)e removed Cornwallis had crossed the Hudson with six thousand 
men, an<l was rapidlv approaching it. The garrison fled to the camp 
near Ilackensack, and then began AVashington's famous retreat across 
Xew Jersey, pursued by Cornwallis, to the Delaware River. 

The British were now in full possession of the city of !New York ami 
Manhattan Island, and held them more than seven years. The Pro- 
vincial Congress of New York became nn'gratory. Driven from the city 
in August (1770), they sat a short time at Harlem, then at Ivingsbridge. 
AVhite Plains, the Philipse JManor, Fishkill, Poiighkeepsie, and finally at 
Kingston, in Flster County. Tliere they remained until their final 
dissolution on the establishment of a State Government, in the spring 
and summer of 1777. 

AViiile the im])oi'tant military events just recorded were occurring in 
Southern Xew York near the sea, others of great importance were 
occurring in Northern Xew York near the borders of Canada. A large 
Britisli and German force were in the latter province under the general 
command of Sir John Burgoyne, and were united with troops under 
General Guy Carleton, tlie Governor of Canada, in preparation for 
executing the plan for the severance of New England from the otlier 
colonies, already mentioned. This gave the Continental Congress and 
their constituents great anxiety, :ind in June the Congress sent General 
Horatio Gates to take command of the Republican army in Canada, 
independent of General Schuyler's control. 

When Gates arrived in All)any he Avas thus first informed that the 
army was out of Canada, and the remnant of it was at Crown Point. 
He hastened thither, took command of that remnant, and proceeded to 

"hell" was frightful. Starvation, fever, and even .suffocation in the pent-up air .it 
iiiirlil made a fearful daily sacrifice of human creatures. Every morninir there went 
down the hatchway fiom the deck the terrible cry, "Rebels, turn out your dead!" 
Then a score of dead bodies covered with vermin would be carried up by tottering half 
skeletons, their suffering companions, when they were taken to the shore and lightly 
bvnicd in the sands of the beach. Such was the fate of eleven thousand American 
prisoners during the war. 

The cruelties infliclcd by Cunningham, the brutal provost-marshal, who had the gencnd 
supervision of American prisoners in New York City, were terrible. He seemed to be 
acting independent of the military ollieers. In his confession before his execution in 
England for a capital crime, he .sjiid : " I shudder to think of the murders I have been 
accessory to, with and williout orders from Government, especially while in Xew York, 
during which time there were more tlian two thousand iirisoners starved in the different 
buildings \ised as i)risons, by slopping their rations, which I sold I" 



XAVAL EXGAGEMEXT OX LAKE CHAMPLAIX. 



251 



construct a flotilla of anned vessels to oppose the advance of the British. 
General Arnold wns appointed commander-in-chief of the flotilla, and 
by the middle of August (1776) ten vessels, large and small, were ready 
for service. Meanwhile the British were busy in the construction of an 
armed flotilla at St. Johns, on the Sorel. 

Toward the close of August the impatient and impetuous Arnold was 
permitted to go down the lake to meet the foe, but instructed not to go 
beyond (present) Rouse's Point, on the boundary-line between IXexv 
York and Canada. He soon found himself in a perilous position, and 
fell back some distance. In the course of a few weeks his flotilla was 
increased, and early in October he was in command of a fleet composed 
of three schooners, two sloops, 
three galleys, eight gondolas, and 
twenty-one gun-boats, bearing an 
aggregate armament of sixt3'-seven 
cannons and ninety-four mortars, 
and manned by about five hundred 
men. 

Ignorant of the strength of the 
naval armament preparing at St. 
Johns, and unwilling to meet a 
superior force on the broad lake, 
Arnold committed the foolish blun- 
der of arranging his vessels in a 
line across the comparatively narrow 
channel between Yalcour Island 
and the M'estern shore of the lake. 
a few miles below Plattsburg. His 

flag -ship was the schooner Itoyal Savage, twelve guns. There he was 
attacked by a formidable flotilla, manned by many veterans of the Royal 
Kavy, on the morning of October 11th. It was commanded by Captain 
Pi'ingle in the Inflexible, though the expedition was under the supreme 
command of General Carleton, who was with the fleet, with British and 
German officers and troops. A severe action ensued, which continued 
almost five hours. Arnold and his men fought desperately. His vessel 
grounded and was burned by the enemy, but the crew were saved. 
Night closed upon the scene, when neither party was victorious. 

The two fleets anchored within a few hundred yards of each other. 




THE ROYAI, SAVAGE.' 



* Copied from a water-color sketch found by the writer among the papers of General 
Philip Sfhuyler in 18.56. It settled the important question, Wliat was the device on the 
" Union flag" hoisted over the American camp at Cambridge on January- 1st. 1776 ? 



•-'52 Till: KMl'lKE STATK. 

Arnold (Ictennincd to retreat to Crown PoiTit that nii^lit. Anticiiiatinff 
such a niuveinent, the British flotilla was anchored in a line across the 
lake to intercejit his vessels. The night was intensely dark, heavy 
clouds having gatliered over the sky. At ten o'clock the Americans 
weighed anchor, and with a stiff l)reeze from the north the whole flotilla 
jjassed through the British line unobserved. The astonished enemy 
gave chase the next morning. Calms and liead winds ensued, and it was 
not until the morning of the IHth that the fugitives were overtaken. 
Then another desperate tight ensued for several hours. One of the 
American vessels (the \Vas/nn<jto?i) was (-aiiturud, and General Water- 
l)urv and lier crew were made prisoners. Arn(jld was on the ('(»itjress. 
When she became shattered almost to a wreck he ran her ashore, with 
other vessels, a few miles l)el()w Crown I'oint, set them on Are, and 
escaped. 

(ieneral Carleton, with Generals JJurgoync and Riedesel (the latter 
the commander of the Germans), wlio accompanied the expedition, took 
possession of Crown Point and held it about a fortnight, but refused to 
attempt to recapture Ticonderoga. The whole British force sailed down 
the lake early in November, and went into winter quarters in Canada. 
Burgoyne soon afterward returned to England. At the end of 1776 
Lake Cliamplain was really at the mercy of tlie British, and tiiu Ameri- 
cans Iiad lost all territory acquired since Allen took Ticonderoga. 

Early in the struggle British cruisers kept the 2>eople on the New 
England coasts in a state of continual alarm. One of them I)ombarded 
and burnt Falmouth (now Portland), in Maine, and other dejiredations 
were committed by Bi-itisb armed vessels. The Continental Congress, 
perceiving the necessity for meeting this exigency, took measures for 
creating a uavy. At near the close of the year they ordered a consider- 
able number of armed vessels to be built. Esek Hopkins, of llhode 
Island, was appointed the chief naval commander, aiul in February 
(1776) he sailed from the Delaware with a little squadron to oppose Lord 
Dunmore, the fugitive royal governor of Virginia, who was devastating 
the shores of that province. On January 1st (1776) he had burned 
Norfolk. Hopkins went on to the Bahama Islands, seized Nassau, and 
carried off one huiulred cannons and a large (luantity of stores. The 
Continental Navy was never powerful, but numerous ])rivateers autlior- 
ized by Congress performed efticicnt service. 

Two of the vessels of war ordered by Congress were bnilt at Pough- 
keepsie, on the Hudson, by Van Zandt, Lawrence & Tudor, who estab- 
lished a " Continental Ship Yard "" there. These were the Co/ir/ress, 
twentv-eight guns, and the JLi!iti/o?Hci'y, twenty-four guns. These 



A RACE FOR THE DELAWARE RIVER. 



253 



naval coiistruct(jrs were also einplojed in building the ])00in composed 
of timbers and iron chains across the Hudson at Anthony's Xose, at the 
southern entrance of the Higldands. It was constructed by command of 
the Committee of Safety appointed by the Provincial Congress. It was 
completed in the spring of 1TT7.* 

The military disasters in different parts of Xew York wore partially 
counterbalanced by brilliant achievements of American soldiers in New 
Jersey, in the early winter of 1770-77. In the race for the Delaware 
River between Washington and Cornwallis the former won ; but impor- 
tant places — Newark, Brunswick, Princeton, and Trenton — fell into the 
hands of the invader. The little army of Washington continually 




LINKS OF THE CHAIN AT WEST POINT. 



diminished during his flight across New Jensey, and when he reached 
the Delaware and crossed tlie river into Pennsylvania he had scarcely 
three thousand soldiers left. Tlepublicans in New Jersey seemed para- 
lyzed in the presence of the British army. Washington had urged Lee 
to join him with the troops left at North Castle, but he would not do 
so ; and after the little army had crossed the Delaware that officer, who, 
it is now known, was a traitor to the cause, allowed himself to be made 
a prisoner in New Jersey and taken to New York. 

The procrastinating Howe, feeling sure that he could now capture 
Philadelphia at any time, ordered Cornwallis to defer the crossing of the 
river until it should be sufficiently frozen to allow the troops to move 



* The boom consisted of a heavy iron chain borne by strong floats. A more powerful 
boom was stretched across the river from West Point to Constitution Island. The chain 
was buoyed by logs about si.xteen feet in length sharpened at each end. so as to offer little 
resistance to the tides. To these logs the chain w^as firmly fastened. Several links of the 
chain may be seen at West Point surrounding a mortar. The links are made of iron bars 
two inches and a half square and a little more than three feet in U-ugth. Each weighed 
about one hundred and sixty pounds. 



254 llli; KMPIIiK STATK 

over upon tlic ice. Tlicy were cantoned along tlie Xew Jersey side of 
the river from Trenton to rjurlington. A detacliinent of rierinans 
under Colonel Rail and i^onie I'ritish light horse were stationed at 
Trenton ; and so confident were the British tliat the inchoate repnbh'c 
M-as mined, tliat Cornwallis ])rcparcd to retnrn to England. When Rail 
sent to General Grant for re-enforcenients, the latter said to the mes- 
senger : "' Tell the colonel he is very safe. I will undertake to keep the 
peace in Xew Jersey with a corporal's guard." 

Dark, indeed, was the aspect of public affairs for the Rei)ul)licans at 
that moment. The frightened Congress had fled from Piiihidel[)hia to 
Baltimore. The public mind was despondent. Recruiting for the army 
seemed impossible. Terms of service of the soldiers were about to 
expire, and the army was reduced to seventeen hundred men. Yet 
"Washington, knowing the cause to be just, and relying upon ()iiinip()- 
tence, never lost hopc^ At that gloomy hour he conceived a masterly 
stroke of military .-^kill. Liberal bounties were offered for recruits, and 
lirought them. Lee's division, under Sullivan, joined him. So, also, 
did regiments from Ticonderoga. The Pennsylvania militia turned out 
with considerable alacrity, and the spell-bound people of Xew Jersey 
began to recover their senses. 

Thus strengthened, Washington I'csolved to recross the Delaware and 
smite the enemy at Trenton, lie chose Christnuis night for the enter- 
prise, knowing that a large portion of the Germans would probably be 
disabled by their holiday indulgences. 

Li a storm of sleet the Americans, two thousand strong, witli twenty 
cannons, crossed the Delaware at night on flat-boats amid thin floating 
ice, and hoped to reach Trenton before daylight. They could not. 
The German guards at the outskirts of the village, surprised, were 
driven in, and gave an alarm. The drums beat to arms, and very soon 
Colonel Rail and his disordered troops were in the streets. In the sharp 
skirmi.*h that ensued Rail fell, mortally wounded. His troops, panic- 
stricken, broke and Bed in (•onfusion, but were intercepted by some 
Pennsylvania riflemen under Colonel Hand and made ])risoners. The 
light horse esca[)ed. The victory was complete. As a prudential 
measure Washington immediately recrossed the river with his captives 
and spoils. 

The British were astounded, and fell back from the Delaware. Wash- 
ington's ranks were rapidly filled. Congress had clothed him with the 
powers of a dictator. He recrossed the Delaware (December 30th), 
took post at Trenton with about five thousand men, and resolved to act 
on the offensive. Cornwallis returned to New Jei*sey, and the British 



BATTLE AT PRINCETON. 255 

and German troops were concentrated at Princeton, only ten miles 
distant. 

On January 2d (1777) Cornwallis, with a strong force, moved against 
Washington from Princeton. At Trenton they liad some skirmishing, 
when each party encamped for the night upon opposite sides of a small 
stream. Expecting re-enforcements in the morning, Cornwallis felt 
sure of his prey. Put Wasliington, with his troops, moved secretly 
away after midnight, and before sunrise he was engaged in battle near 
Princeton with the reserved troops who had started to re-enforce Corn- 
wallis. The battle was short, sharp, and decisive. The brave General 
Hugh Mercer was mortally wounded, and many other American officers 
were slain on that snowy field. 

When the astonished Cornwallis found that his anticipated prey had 
escaped, and he heard the booming of cannon at Princeton, he liastened 
back ; but not a " rebel " was found there. They had won a victory 
and passed on, and made their way to Morristown, in the hill country of 
East Jersey, where Washington established his winter quarters. 



25(j THE EMPIRE ^TATE. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Two veiy important events occurred witliiii tin; doiiiuiii of New York 
during the year 1777, namely : (1) The framing of a constitution for the 
government of the Commonwealtli and tlie estahiislmient and organization 
of an independent State govurnmont ; (2) A formidahle invasion of tlie 
State by British troops from Canada, under the command of Lieutenant- 
General Sir John Burgoyne. 

Tlie final movement in their migrations b}' the Provincial Congress, 
or, rather, the " Convention of Representatives of the State of New 
York," as that Ijody was now called, occurred in February, 1777, when 
they adjourned from Poughkeepsie to Kingston. In April, the pre- 
vious year, the Continental ( 'ongress resolved, " That it be recommended 
to the several Assemblies and Conventions of the United Colonies, where 
no government sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs hath hitherto 
been established, to adopt such a government as shall, in the opinion of 
the representatives of the people, best conduce to the happiness and 
safety of their constituents in particular, and of America in general." 

This was a Itold but cautious step in the direction of imlependence. 
The people of Xew York, though Toryism was yet rife among them, 
favored the recommendation of Congress by a large majority, and pro- 
ceeded to elect a new Convention.* It assembled at White Plains in 

* At that time the State was divklod into fourteen eounties — namely, New York. Rich- 
monfl. Kings. Queens, Suffolk, Westchester, Duchess, Orange, Ulster, Albany, Tryon, 
Charlotte, Cumberland, and Gloucester. The last two counties formed a part of the 
(]ircsent) State of Vermont. Tlie following are the names of the members who were 
present at the session at Kingston and assisted in the formation of a State government for 
New York : 

Neic York Oity. — John Jay, James Duane, John Morin Scott, James Beekman, Daniel 
Dunseomb, Robert Harper, Philip Livingston. Abraham P. Lott, Peter van Zandt, 
Anthony Rutgers, Evert Bancker, Isaac Stoiitenburgh, Isaac Roosevelt, John van Cort- 
landt, William D<nning. 

Alhniii/. — .Vbraham Ten Broeck, Robert Yates, Leonard Gansevoort. Abraham Yates. 
Jr., John Tell Broeck. John Taylor, Pct(T R. Livingston, Robert van Rensselaer, 
^Matthew .Vdgate, John I. Bleccker. Jacob Cuyler. 

Diirliim. — Robert R. Livingston, Zephaniah Piatt, John Schenck, Jonathan Landon, 
Gilbert Livingston, James Livingston. Henry Schenck. 

Ulster. — Christopher Tappen, Matthew Rea, Matthew Cantine, Charles De Witt, 
Arthur Parks. 



FORMATION" oF A STATE COXSTITrTIOX. 



557 



Jnlv, for the double purpose of framing a State Constitution ; 
cising all the powers of government until that duty should be 

On August 1st (1TT6) the 
Convention appointed a commit- 
tee to prepare a Constitution. 
Mr. Jay was made chairman of 
tlie committee. The exigencies 
of public affairs, in which he 
was deeply engaged, caused con- 
siderable delay in their work, for 
almost the entire laljor devolved 
niKin him. The draft, in the 
handwriting of Mr. Jay, was sub- 
mitted to the Convention on 
March 12th, 1777. That body 
were then sitting at Kingston, in 

a substantial house built of blue * - , i j^ 

limestone, on the coi-ner of Main '^ 

and Fair streets, which is yet John jay,* 

(1886) standing. It was one of 

the few houses spared by the torches of British incendiarie 
Kinifston in the autnmn of the same year. 



ind of 
perfoi 



exer- 
nied. 




M'lii) burned 



Wr.ilclifxter. — Pierre vau Cortlandt, Gouverneur ^Morris. Gilbert Drake, Lewis 
Graham, Ezra Locliwood, ZebediaU Mills, Jonatliaii Piatt, Jonathau G, Tompkins. 

OraiKjc. — William Allison, Henry AVisncr, Jeremiah Clarke, Isaac Sherwood, Joshua 
H. Smith. 

Suffolk. — William Smith. Thomas Treadwell, Joliu SIoss Hobart, Matthias Burnet 
Miller, Ezra L'Hommedieii. 

Qtiiriis. — Juuatluiu Lawrence. 

Tri/oii. — William Harper, Isaac Paris. Jlr. Vedder. John Jlorsc, Benjamin NewUirk. 

Charlotte. — John Williams, Alexander Webster. AVilliam Dtier. 

Cumberliiiid. — Simon Stephens. 

Kings, Riehmond, and Gloucester were not represented. v. ' 

* John Jay was boru iu the city of New York on December 12th, 1745. He entered 
King's (now Columbia) College when he was fourteen years old, and gave earh- i)romise 
of a brilliant career. He was admitted to the bar in 1768 ; soon became an eminent 
lawyer ; married a daughter of William Livingston, of New Jersey, in 1774, and joined 
vigorously in opposition to the measures of the British ministry as a champion of popular 
rights. He was the youngest memlier of tlie tirst Continental Congress, and was one of 
the most efficient men in that body. After assisting iu the organization of the State of 
New York, he became president of the Continental Congress, and in 1779 was sent as 
minister at the Spanish court. He 'was one of the commis.sioners to negotiate the Pre- 
liminary Treaty of Peace in 1782, and the following year he affixed his signature to the 
definite Treatv. On his return he a.ssumed tlir duties of eliief of the Foreign Depart- 



J58 



Tin-: KMi'iui: statk. 



The Constitution \v;is under consideration for more tliun a niontli. 
]\[r. Jay, on reflecting upon the character and feelings of tlie nieniliers 
of tlie Convention, had omitted several important provisions, which he 
proposed to offer separately as amendments before it should be finally 
acted upon. That action was taken, in a precipitate manner, on April 
l2oth.* Mr. .Tay mms then al)sent in attendance upon his dying mother. 
J5eforo his return the instrument was adojited, with some additions and 




HOUSE IX WIIKII TUE COXSTITCTIOX WAS ADOPTED. 

omissions, which lie regretted. In a letter penned a few days afterward 
concerning the hurried manner in which this important business hail 
been concluded, Mr. Jay wrote, after pointing out his olnections : 

" The other parts of the Constitution 1 approve, and only regret that, 
like a harvest cut before it was well ripe, some of the grains have 
shrunk. Exclusive of the clauses which I have mentioned, and which 



mt-nt of Iho Fcileral Govcninu'nt, and so rcniaiiipd until tho Xational Government 
was established, lu 1789, when lie was appointed the first Chief-.] list iee of the United 
States. In 1794 he negotiated a new treaty with Great Hiitain. During his absence lie 
was elected Governor of the State of New York, and held that office until isol. Gov- 
ernor Jay died May 17th, 1829. 

* On April 22d the Constitution was published by the reading of it to the members of 
the Convention and the people by Robert Benson, the secretary, in front of the court- 
house in Kingston. Benson stood upon a barrel, and his clear voice was distinctly heard 
by the multitude. Three thousand cojiies of the document were printed by John Holt, 
at Fishkil), for distribution. 



FEATURES OF THE STATE CONSTITUTION. 



t>59 



I wisli hud been added, another material one has been omitted — namely, 
a direction that all persons holding office iinder the government should 
swear allegiance to it, and renounce all allegiance and subjection to 
foreign kings, princes, and States, in all matters, ecclesiastical as well as 
civil. I should also have been for a clause against the continuance of 
domestic slavery, and for the support and encouragement of literature. " 
Because of Mr. Jay's temporary absence from the Convention it is 
]>robable that the State of Xew York was deprived of the honor of 








PrBI.ISniXG THE COXSTITITIOX. 



setting the first example in America of the voluntary al)olition of slavery. 
Among the most prominent features of the Constitution, and which 
were subsequently eliminated from it by revisions and amendments, 
were (1) a provision for a Council of Appointment, composed of the 
governor and four Senators, the latter chosen by the Assembly to serve 
for two years. This Council appointed nearly all officers, excepting the 
chancellor and Supreme Court judges. The term of office of their 
appointees depended upon the will of the Council ; (2) a Council of 



200 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

Revision, composed of tlie governor, the chancellor, and Supreme Court 
iudges, whose duty it was to revise all hills about to be passed into laws 
by the Legislature ; (3) a property (pialitication to enable a citizen to 
exercise the riglit of the elective franchise, and recjuiring Senators to be 
freeholders ; giving power to the governor to prorogue the Legislature. 

Unlike the more democratic usage of to-day, no provision was made 
for the submission of the Constitution to the judgment of the jieople, 
and the Litter had no opportunity to discuss its provisions or form an 
opinion of it until it was too late to do so. The Convention mils urged 
l>y the '• L'nion Mechanics," of Xew York City, to submit it to the 
people ; but as the members of the Convention were anxious to return 
home, and public affairs re<piired a speedy organization of a State govern- 
ment, this fundamental law of the State was put forth, the product of 
the representatives only of the people. 

In the full history of these nmvements toward the perfecting the 
Constitution of the State of Xew York is developed much of the phi- 
losophy of that progress which marks so distinctly the onward career of 
our Commonwealth. From the old Dutch laws, sometimes narrow and 
despotic, but usually marked l)y a sound and expansive policy, have 
evolved, by degrees, the enliglitened features of the present Constitution 
of the State. In it we may trace the growth of the benevolent principles 
of human equality and the correct appreciation in the pnl>lic mind of 
the rights of man. 

Provision was made for putting the State Government into active 
operation immediately.* Eobert R. Livingston was appointed by the 
Convention, Chancellor ; Jcjlin Jay, Chief-Justice ; Robert Yates, Jr. , 
and John Sloss Hobart, puisne justices, and Egbert Benson, Attorney- 
General. The benches of the courts of the several counties were filled. 
A Council of Safety was appointed, composed of John Morin Scott. 
Robert R. Livingston, Charles Tappen, Abraham Yates, Jr., Gous-erneur 
Morris, Zephauiah Piatt, John Jay, Charles Dc Witt, Robert Harper, 
Jacob Cuyler, Thomas Treadwell, J. Sloss Ilobart, and Jonathan 
G. Tompkins. To this Council were confided all the powers of the State, 
■ to be exercised without control, until superseded by the regularly con- 
stituted authorities. 

The Convention also appointed a sort of Yigilance Committee, for 

* A committee comiwsed of .John .Jay. liolxTt R. Livincston, Gouverneur Jlorris, .Jolm 
Morin Scott, Abraham Yates, and Jolin Sloss Hobart \va.s apixjintetl to reiwrt a plai\ for 
orgiinizinsr the State Government. Fifteen of the members of tlie Convention were 
emiK)wered to jrovern the Stale until an election could be held for llie State officers. 
They constituted a board calleil the Council of Safety. 



A VIGILANCE COMMITTEE APPOINTED. 2(;l 

'• iiKjuiniig into and detecting and defeating all conspiracies that may be 
formed in the State against the liberties of America." John Jay was 
the lirst chairman. They were empowered to send for persons and 
papers ; to call out the militia in the several counties for suppressing 
insurrection ; to apprehend, secure, or remove persons whom they might 
judge danojerous to the State ; to make the necessary drafts upon tlie 
treasury ; to enjoin secrecy upon their members and the persons they 
employed. They were empowered to raise and officer two hundred and 
twenty men, and to avail themselves of their service whenever the 
committee might see fit. 

This formidable committee was kept in active existence during the 
war, and its powers were employed with energy. A vast number of 
arrests, imprisonments, and banishments from the State or to within tlie 
British lines at ]SIew York were made by it. Many Tories and their 
families were sent into the city of New York from the rural districts ; 
otliers were expelled from the State, and others were required to give 
seciirity to a pledge to reside within preserilied limits. Occasionally the 
jails and even the churches were crowded with prisoners, and many were 
sent to jails in Connecticut for safe keeping. Among the latter was the 
Mayor of New York.* 

The Convention defined the crime of treason against the State, and 
imposed the penalty of death upon the offender. They established a 
system of confiscation ; and soon after the Constitution was adopted a law 
was passed requiring an oath of allegiance to the State. All persons 
refusing to take snch oath were sent within the British lines or Avere 
exchanged for prisoners of war. An act of attainder was passed, 
together with an act for the " forfeiture and sale of the estates of persons 



* This conmiittee was timely, for tlie southern portion of the State was so strongly 
Torv in sentiment that sit one time the inhabitants were on the point of open opposition 
to Congress before the entry of the British troops into New York City. Governor Tryon 
resumed his authority as supreme ruler. He received the congratulations of the loyal 
inhabitants signed by Daniel Ilommanden, Oliver de Lancey, and nine hundred and 
forty-six others. They also addressed the brothers Howe, as peace commissioners, praying 
that reconciliation and general loyalty might be restored. A similar address was made to 
the governor and the commissioners in October, signed by David Colden and two thou- 
sand one hundred and eighty-four inhabitants of Queens Couniy. On the 20th of the .same 
month the committee of Suffolk County dissolved, disclaimed and rejected the orders of 
Congress, and declared themselves " desirous to obey the legal authority of government, 
hoping that the governor woidd pass by their former misconduct and te graciously 
pleased to protect them, agreeably to the laws of the province." The disaflfected every- 
where began to correspond with the enemy, and authority was given to county com- 
mittees to arrest and punish them. 



2ii2 THE EMIMHK STATK. 

wlio liiul iiilhcrcd to the encin}-, and for declaring tlie sovereignty of the 
State ill respect to all property nitliiii it.'"* 

The Convention adjourned in May. The Council of Safety imme- 
diately ordered an (flection of a Legislature and State officers. The returns 
were made to the Council early in July. General George Clinton 
was chosen governor, and Pierre van Cortlandt lieutenant-governor. 
Clinton held the position by successive elections until 1795, when he was 
succeeded by John Jay. Tie was installed in office on July 30th, at 
Kingston. Being then actively engaged in command of the New York 
niiliria, he did not quit the field until the defeat of J'urgoyne, in the 
fall, but discharged his civil duties by correspondence with the Council 
of Safety, which body was continued until the fidl organization of the 
State Government, in the spring of 1T7>^. 

The first meeting of the Legislature of Xew York took place at King- 
ston, f when Walter Livingston M-as ciiosen Speaker of the Assembly. 
Pierre van Cortlandt, the lieutenant-governor, jiresided over the Senate. 
John Morin Scott was chosen Secretary of State, and Comfort Sands 
Auditor-General. 

Thus was completed by the process of cvoluti(jn the transformation uf 
the alternate Dutch and English province of Kew York into an inde- 
pendent commonwealth. It formed a constituent of the then inchoate 
jiation which has become the mightiest power on the earth. Isew York 

* The pereons subjected to special attention under this law weie : .Jolin >Iurray, Earl 
of Dunmorc ; AVilliara Tryon, governor ; .John Watts, Oliver de Laneey, Huirli Wallace, 
Henry White, .John Harris C'ruger, William Axlell, Koger Jlorris. late members of the 
Council ; George Duncan Ludlow and Thomas .James, late justices of the Supreme 
Court ; .John Taber ICempe, late attorney-general ; William Bayard, Hobcrl IJayard, 
.Tames ile I,.anccy, David Matthews (late Mayor of New York), .Tames .Jaunccy, George 
FoUiot, Thomas White, William ^McAdam, Isaac Low, Jliles .Sherbrooke, Alexander 
Wallace, .John Wealherhead, Rev. Charles Inglis, rector of Trinity Church, and 
Margaretta, his wife ; Sir John Johnson, Guy Johnson, Daniel Claas (son-in-law of Sir 
William Johnson), John Buller, John Joost Herkimer. Frederick Philipse, Senior and 
Junior ; David Colden, Daniel Kissam, Gabriel J>U(llow. I'hilii) Skene, Andrew P. Skene, 
Benjamin Seaman, Christopher Billop, Beverly Robinson, Senior and Junior ; JIalcomn 
Morrison, John Ivane, Abraham C. Cuyler, Robert Leake, Edward Jes\ip, Ebenezer 
Jesup, I'eter Dulx)is. Thomas H. Barclay, Susaiuiah Robinson and her sister, Maj' 
Morris, John Rapelje, George Morrison, Richard Floyd, Parker Wyckham, Henry 
IJovd, and Sir Henry Clinton. 

t ICingston was then a pretty, thriving village situated on a plain a short distance west 
of the river. It was one of the earliest Dutch settlements in the State. It was originally 
named Esopus, and that region was the theatre of a tragedy, already noticed, in which the 
Indians took a conspicuous ]>art in Stu\-\-esant's time. There were Dutch trading settlers 
there so early as 1616. At the time in question it was one of the larger villages in Xew 
York. 



INVASION FROM CANADA THREATENED. 203 

is a peerless member of the Tliirty-eiglit United States which form the 
Great Kepulilic of the AVest. 

Wiiile these civil matters were occupying the earnest attention of the 
people of New York, a most imposing military spectacle was seen within 
its borders, and filled the minds of every patriot with anxiety and alarm. 

We have observed that General Burgoyne was in Canada at the close 
of 1776 with a large British force. lie went to England early in 1777, 
but i-eturned to Quebec on May 5th following. He came bearing the 
commission of lieutenant-general and invested with the chief command 
of the troops in Canada, superseding Governor Carleton. To soothe the 
feelings of the governor, Burgoyne bore to Carleton tokens of knight- 
hood which had just been bestowed upon him, and thenceforth he was 
known as Sir Guy Carleton. 

Burgoyne was instructed to attempt the execution of the ministerial 
plan for the severance of New England from the other States then in 
revolt. lie at once made preparations to invade Northern New York 
by the way of Lake Champlain, with a large force of Britons, Germans, 
Canadians, and Indians. 

The vigilant Schuyler, anticipating such an invasion, had written to 
Washington early in the year that at least ten thousand troops, well 
supplied, would lie required at Ticonderoga, and two thousand at Fort 
Stauwix (now Rome) and at other points on the Mohawk Kiver. 
Schuyler also engaged two trirstworthy residents of Canada to furnish 
him with the best intelligence of affairs there, from time to time. 

Washington made strenuous efforts to strengthen the northern army. 
Some New York and New England trooj^s had joined the garrison at 
Ticonderoga ; but when, so late as June 20th, Schuyler visited that post, 
he M'as deeply concerned to learn from General St. Clair that the garrison 
was still very weak, the soldiers miserably clad and fed, and that there 
was almost nothing in store for them. A strong redoubt had been built 
on Mount Independence on the opposite shore of the here narrow lake, 
but there were not men enougli to properly man it. 

At dawn on the very day when Schuyler arrived at Ticonderoga 
(June 20tli), the drums in the British camp at St. Johns, on the Sore), 
l)eat the generale, and very soon the army which Burgoyne * had 



* Sir John Burgo_vue was born in England about 1730, and entered the army in his 
youth. He married a daughter of the Earl of Derby. He became distinguished as a 
soldier, served with honor in Portugal in lT(i~, and became a member of Parliament. 
With the commission of brigadier-general he arrived in Boston late in May, 17T.J. He 
returned to England late in 1776, and came back to America in the spring of 1777. and 
undertook the invasion of the State of New York. He and his whole army were made 



204 TlIK E.Ml'lUE STATE. 

cjathcrcd there were upon vessels lioniul up the lake. The wives of 
many of the otHcers accoiupaniod their husbands, for they e.xpeeted a 
pleasant summer journey over the country to New York, the lieutenant- 
general having written to General Howe that he should very soon join 
him on the navigahlo waters of the Hudson. Tiie Indians were to 
spread terror over Xorthern New York by their atrocities, and so make 
concjuest easy, and the voyage up the lake and the march to Albany 
almost a pleasure excursion. 

At the same time an expedition under ('olonel St. Leger, composed of 
regulars, Canadians, and Indians, was despatched to Lake Ontario with 
orders to cross it, land at Oswego, penetrate and desolate the Moliawk 
Aalluy, and join the victorious tr<)o[)s wliich might sweep down from 
the noi-tii into tlie valley of the Hudson. The Canadians and Indians 
were led by Sir John Johnsun. At the same time a British foi'ce was to 
ascend the Hudson, seize the American fortifications in the Highlands. 
waste the country above in case of resistance, and form a junction with 
Burgoyne at Albau}-. 

To alarm and distract the inhabitants in the lower valley of the 
Hudson and on the seaboard, marauding expeditions were sent out from 
New York. Late in April a strong British force went up the Hudson 
to destroy American stores at Peekskill, at the lower entrance to the 
Highlands. Too weak to defend them, the vVmericans, under General 
McDougal, set them on tire and retreated to the hills in the rear. 
A little later Governor Tryon, with aljout two thousand British and 
Tories, landed on the shores of Connecticut, penetrated the country, 
destroyed the stores at Danbury, and jilundered and burnt that 
village. 

With nnu-h display Burgoyne went on board the schooner Ladij 
Marij, at St. Johns, when a discharge of cannons from her deck gave a 
signal for the fleet to move. His second in command was General 
^\ illiam Phillips. The Baron de Riedesel * \yas the commander-in-chief 



prisoners nt Siirato;ia. when he returned to England and resumed his seat in Parliament, 
lie becjiine a Privy ('(Hineiildr, eonimander-in-ehief in Inland, and retired from public 
life in 1TH4. He dieil in Limdon in 1792. 

* ISaron <le Kiedesel was a German oflicer, boru in 1738, and died in Bruuswiek in 
1800. He served in the English army in the Seven Yeans' War in Eui;ope under Prince 
Ferdinand, and became captain of Hessian Hus-sars in 1760. In 1767 he becjmie adjutant- 
general of the Brunswick army. With the rank of major-general he commanded tlie 
Brunswickers liired by Greorge HI. of England for ser\nce in America, and landed with 
Burgoyne in Canada in the spring of 1775. He assisted that general in his invasion of New 
York, and was made a prisoner of war. His eharniing wife a( •eom|>.inied him. and after- 



BURGOYNE'S INVASION OF NEW YORK. 



■2 05 



of the Germans. At tlie mouth of tlie Boquet River (site of WilLs- 
liorough, ill Essex County) Biir<;;oyne feasted about four hundi'ed Indians, 
to whom lie made a speech, praising them for their fidelity to the king, 
and exhorting them to " strike at 
the common enemy of their sov- 
ereign and America." lie forbade 
them to kill any excepting in bat- 
tle, or to take scalps from any but 
the dead. The Mdiolo invading 
army arrived at Crown Point on 
June 26tli. They then numbered 
.something less than nine thou.sand 
men, with a powerfid train of artil- 
lery. 

The garrisons at Tieonderoga 
and ]\Iouut Independence had an 
aggregate force of not more than 
thirty-five hundred men, and only 
one in ten of them possessing a 
Ijayonet. Schuyler, who was at 
Albany making provision to meet 
the invasion of the Mohawk region, 
had too few troops to spare a re- 
enforcement for St. Clair without uncovering points which, left un- 
protected, might allow the invaders to gain the rear of the lake 
fortresses. There were strong outposts around Tieonderoga, but there 
were not troops enough to man them ; and there were eminences that 
commanded the fort that were left \ingnarded for the same reason. 
Between Tieonderoga and Mount Independence was a boom which the 
Americans thought would effectually bar the way of British vessels 
ascending the lake ; but it utterly failed in the lumr of need. 

At Crown Point Burgoyne issued a pompous proclamation to the 
inhaliitants of the upper Hudson Yalley, which lie prefaced with a 
list of his titles, followed by terrible threats in allusion to what the 
Indians might do if unrestrained. It did not frighten the peojile at all. 
They knew the character of the Indians, and regarded the proelama- 




B.\RONES8 DE RIEDESEL. 



ward publislied an interesting account of her experience in America. Tlie baron wa.s 
exchanged in 1T80 and was made licutcnant-scncral. His wife was a daughter of the 
Prussian Minister Massow. Slic died in lierlin in ISOH. The baron's Memoirs and his 
wife's Letters and .luurnal liavc been translated into English and publislied 1)y AV. L, 
Stone, Esq. 



^00 THE K.Ml'IKK STATE. 

tkm with contp.inpt." St. CMair also iiululfred in liopus and a little 
Ijoasting. 

On July 1st, a l)riglit, Imt day, the invading army moved in two 
divisions from Crown Point to attack Forts Ticonderoga and Indepen- 
dence. Tlie right wing, led by General Phillips, moved up the west side 
of the lake, and tiie left wing, composed of the Germans commanded liy 
General Iliedcsel, moved up the east side. The dragoons formed the 
advance guard. General Ihirgoyiie and his staff were on the schooner 
Royal Gi'orge, from whicli he could watcli the movements of each 
division. The whole force halted within three miles of Forts Ticon- 
deroga and Independence. 

A detachment of the right wing of the army seized an eminence that 
commanded the road to Lake George and some mills, and they soon took 
possession of the crest of !Mojint Detiance, and planted a battery upon it, 
whence plunging shot niigiit l)e hurled into Fort Ticonderoga from a 
point several hundred feet above it. This was done so secretly that the 
first intimation St. Clair liad of it was the startling sight, at dawn on 
July 5th. It seemed to the Americans more like the lingering appari- 
tions of a night vision than the terril)le reality they were compelled to 
acknowledge it to be. 

The fort was now clearly untenable. A cfiuncil of war determined 
that only in secret tlight might the garrison hope for salvation from 
destruction or capture. The flight was undertaken the same night. 
The invalids and convalescents, stores and l)airira<re, were sent up the 
lake tliat ev^enino; to Skcnesljorougli (now "Whitehall) oil bateaux ; and 
at about two o'clock in the morning (Sunday, July 6th) the garrison 

* The foUowing poetical paraphrase of the prochiniation was attributed to FraiuiN 
Ilopkiiison, author of " The Battle of the Kegs :" 

" I will let loose the dogs of hell, 
Five thousand Indians, who slmll yell, 
And foam and tear, aod grin and roar, 
And (In-nch their moccasins in gore ; 
To these Til give full scope and play, 
From Ticonderog' to Florida. 
They*ll scalp yolir heads and kick your phiufi, 
And rij* your — and flay your t-kini* ; 
And <tf your ears he nimble croppers, 
And make your thumbs tobacco- stoppers. 
If after all the.^c loving warnings. 
My wishes and my bowels' yearnings, 
You shall remain as deaf as adder, 
C>r gn>w with hostile rage the madder. 
1 swear by St. George and by St. Paul, 
I will exterminate yon all. 
Siibseribt^d wiih my manual elgn. 
To test these pn'scnte— John Bi"Rooyne.'* 



EVACUATIOX OF TICOXDEROGA. 267 

crossed a floating bridge at the boom to Fort Independence, leaving- 
almost two hundred cannons behind tlieni. With the garrison of the 
latter they fled southward through the forests of Vermont, hotly imrsued 
by the grenadier brigade of General Fraser and some of the Germans. 
Overtaken at Ilubbardton, the Americans, after a short and sharp battle, 
were defeated and dispersed. St. Clair finally rallied about two thousand 
men, and with these reached Fort Edward, on the \ipper Hudson, in safety. 

In the mean time Bnrgoyne had ordered his gun-boats and other 
vessels to pursue the fugitive bateaux. Before sunrise these vessels had 
burst asunder the boom on which the Americans relied, and the whole 
British flotilla engaged in the chase. The bateaux were overtaken near 
Skenesborough and destroyed, with all their contents, but the men 
escaped. 

General Schuyler, who was constantly engaged in the oversight of 
everything in the Northern Department, was severelv censured for the 
evacuation of Ticonderoga, when he had no connection with the event. 
The evacuation was done without his orders or his knowledge, for he 
was then at Saratoga on important public business. He was tried for 
the offence by a court-martial, and most honorably acquitted.* 

From Skenesborough Burgoyne sent out a boastful and arrogant proc- 
lamation, in which he demanded the instant submission of the j^eople, 
and reipiired them to send deputies from the several townships to meet 
Colonel Philip Skene f in conference at Castleton, on July 15th. lie 
threatened them with " military executions" if they refused to obey his 
commands. At the same time he promised them ample protection if 
they should be obedient. 

General Schuyler, vrho had hastened to Fort Edward, issued a stirring 
counter-proclamation, \<-arning the people against the wiles of the enemy, 
whose sole ol)ject was by threats and promises to induce the inhabitants 
to forsake the cause of their injured country, and to assist the enemy in 

* For minute particulars concerning the eminent public services of General Schuyler 
from 1760 until his death in 1804, see Lossing's Life atid Times of Philip SchuyUr, 
published by Henry Holt & Co., New York. 

+ Philip Skene came to America with British troops in 17.i6. and ^vas wounded in the 
attack on Ticonderoga uniler Abercrombie. He had entered the i\n\\x in 1739. He was 
in command of Crown Point for a while. He planted a settlement at the head of Lake 
Champlain (now Whitehall) which was called Skenesborough, and there he made his resi- 
dence in 1770. .\dhering to the British crown, he was arrested in Philadelphia, but was 
exchanged in 1776, and accompanied Burgovne in his invasion of New York. He was 
with the British detachment defeated at Bennington, and was taken prisoner at Saratoga. 
The Legislature of New York conliseated his property in 1779, when he returned to 
Endand. ami died there in 1810. 



•iOS Till-: IC.MI'IUK STATE. 

forcing slavery upon the people of the United States. He warned his 
fellow-citizens that the invaders would bring upon theui tiiat niiserv 
which similar promises brought upon " tlie dehuled inhabitants of New 
Jersey who were weak enough to confide in them, but soon experienced 
their fallacy l)y being treated indiscriminately witli those virtuous citizens 
who came forth in defence of their country, with the most M-autoii 
biirl)arities, and such as hitiierto liatli not even disgraced barl>ariau>. 
They cnielly butciiered witliout distinction to age or sex,'" Schuyler 
continued. " They ravished cliildren froiu ten to women of eighty 
years of age ! they liurnt, pillaged, and destroyed whatever came into 
their power, nor did those edifices dedicated to tiie worship of .Vlmiglity 
God escape tlieir sacrilegious fury." 

Schuyler warned the people of Northern New York th.it tin's would 
be their fate if they heeded Burgoyne's proclamation ; and he told them 
distinctly that any persons holding any correspondence with the invaders, 
or wiio should accept protection from them, would be regarded and 
punished as traitors to their country. 

P>nrgoyne pushed on from Skenesborough toward Fort Edwai-d, on 
the uj)per Hudson, but met with obstructions at almost every stej), 
which had been cast in his way by General Schuyler, who destroyed 
liridgcs and felled trees across the roads. Schuyler was then in command 
of not more than four thousand effective men, a mimbcr entirely inado- 
(piate to combat a foe twice as strong in iiumbers and flushed with 
victory ; but so effectually did he em])loy his troops in impe<ling the 
march of tiie invading army that they did nut arrive at Fort Edward 
before the close of July. Then occurred there the sad tragedy of the 
death of Jane McCrea, the story of which, as set afloat at that time, is 
familiar to all readers of American history ; but truth changed its 
features many years ago, and gave the story as follows : 

Jane McCrea, a daughter of a elergviuau in New Jersev, was visitiui^ 
friends at Fort Edward at the time of the invasion. She was betrothed 
to a young man living near there, who Wiis then in Ihirgoyne's army. 
When that army ajjproaclied Fort Edward some prowling Indians seized 
Miss McCrea .and her feminine friend with whom she was staying, and 
attempted to convey them to the British camp at Sandy Hill. They 
had placed them upon horses (probably by direction of the lover) and 
were ascending a hill when a detachment of Americans, who were sent 
to rescue the captives, tired upon the dusky kidnappers. One of the 
bullets pierced the brain of tlie maiden, and she fell dead from the 
horse. Her captors scalped her and carried her glossy tresses into the 
camp as a trophy. Her lover, shocked b^' the event, left the army and 



PERILOUS CONDITIOX OP BURGOYXES AIOIY. 269 

retired tu Canada, carrying with him tlie precious locks of hi.s aHiauced. 
He lived, a moody bachelor, until he was an old man. 

The body of Miss McCrea was recovered by her friends, and was 
buried at Fort Edward. A tale of romance and horror concerning the 
manner of her death went abroad. In Septemljer an open letter of 
General Gates (who liad superseded Schuyler in command) to Burgoyne, 
full of exaggerations and holding the latter responsible for the deatii of 
the maiden, gave great currency to the story ; and hundreds, perhaps 
thousands, of young men, burning with indignation and a spirit of ven- 
geance becaiise of the outrage, flocked to the American camp. 

Schuyler continually fell liack before the pressure of Burgoyne's 
superior numbers, nuide stronger by discipline, until, in August, he 
resolved to make a stand near Stillwater, on the Hudson, and there 
establish a fortified camp for recruits, who were coming iu rapidly. 
Burgoyne was evidently becoming weaker as he departed farther from 
his now precarious supplies. His army was soon in an almost starving- 
condition, and menaced on every side by constantly increasing enemies. 

Necessity now compelled Bnrgojme to make a bold sti-oke for food, 
forage, and conquest. He was informed that the Americans had a large 
quantity of stores at Bennington, in Vermont. He sent a detachment 
of Germans, Canadians, Tories, and Indians, under Lieutenant-Colonel 
Breyman, to seize tliese supplies, jirocure horses, and organize the Tories 
in that region. This force was met by New Hampshire militia and 
others under General John Starke a short distance from Bennington, 
and on August KUh (1777) a severe battle occurred. The invaders were 
defeated and dispersed, and about seven hundred of them became 
prisoners, ilany of the Canadians and Indians deserted, and the 
survivors marched back in most melancholy mood. 

This was a disastrous expedition for the invaders. It greatly inspirited 
the patriots, disheartened the Tories, and depressed the spirits of the 
whole of Burgoyne's army. It crippled his movements when it was all- 
important that he should go forward with celerity, for St. Leger, whom 
he had sent by way of Lake Ontario and Oswego to invade the Mohawk 
Valley, was then besieging Fort Stanwix (then called Fort Schuylen, 
with the expectation of soon meeting the lieutenant-general at Albany. 
His plans were frustrated. It was perilous for him to remain where he 
was ; it would lie perilous to move forward. His troops had to be fed 
with provisions brought from England by way of Canada and Lakes 
Champlain and George and a land journey through the forests. Let us 
leave Burgoyne in this dilemma and take a glance at passing events in 
the Mohiiwk Valley. 



270 



TIIK KMIMIIK STATE. 



CIIAPTEIl XIX. 



'i '^v 



Tn order to moderate the zeal of tlie Tories and to encourage and 
support tliu Wliiifs of Tryoii County, Fort Seluiyler (on the situ of 
Rome, X. Y. ) had hecn garrisoned hy seven liundred and fifty men. 

eoninianded liy Colonel Peter 
Gansevofirt. In 'Tuly (1777) Colo- 
-'T' , ./ nel Marinus Willett, an active and 

judicious officer, joined the garri- 
son witii liis regiment. Anotlier 
re-enfiircement arrived soon after- 
Avard with provisions sufficient to 
subsist the garrison for at least six 
weeks. 

Brigadier-General Nicholas Her- 
kimer, a venerable citizen si.\ty- 
five years old, was then in command 
of the Tryon County militia. Tlie 
Mohawlc chief, I'.i'ant,* had re- 
turned from Canada in the spring 
and placed himself at tlie head of 
a band uf Indian marauders in tiie 
vicinity of tlie head-waters of the 
Susfpiehanna lliver, and the briga- 
dier had watched him for several 
weeks with sleepless vigilance. 
At the beginning of August Colonel St. Leger, Avith a motley host of 
Tories and Canadians — the " Johnson (or Royal) Greens" — comuuiuded 
l)v Colonels Sir John Johnson, Chias, and Hutlcr, and Indians led by 




JOSKIMI IIUANT. 



* .Joseph Brant (Tliay-on-dn-nc-gfii) was an eminent Mohawk chief, born about IToS. 
and (lied at the western end (if Lake Ontario, in Cana(hi, in 1S07. Sir "William .Tohnson 
had him eduealed by Dr. Wheelock at Hanover, X. H. lie engaired in the war airainst 
Pontiae in 1703. lie became .secretary to Guy .Johnson. In 1770 lie went to England 
and olTered his own and his people's .services in suppressing the relM-Uion in llie colonies. 
He and most of the Jlohawks remained friends of tin; crown throughout the war. After 
the war he prevailed on the Six Nations to make a permanent peace with tlur new govern- 
ment. He went to England a .second time, in 1780, in the interest of his people, who 
•were settliMl on a reservation on the T.rand River, in Canada. IIi< remains rest beneath a 



ILVTTLE OF OKISKANY. 271 

Brant, arrived before Fort Scluiyler from Oswego, and l)egan a close 
siege.* Herkimer with his mihtia, eight hundred strong, hastened to 
the assistance of the garrison, sending them word tliat he M'as comino-. 
Encouraged by this news, Colonel Willett naade a sortie with a part of 
two regiments. He fell upon the " Greens" so suddenly and furiously 
that they were compelled to tly in confusion. Sir John had not time to 
])nt on his coat. His papers, l)aggage, clothing, blankets, and cani]) 
equipage, sufficient in bulk to KU twenty wagons, were the spoils of 
victory. The trojihies were five British flags. A portion of the 
" Greens" had gone to meet Herkimer and liis men. 

On the morning of August (3th Herkimer and his little force were 
marching, iu fancied security, at Oriskany, a few miles west of Utica, 
when they fell into an ambush of Tories and Indians. They were 
assailed at all points by pikes, hatchets, and rifle-balls. Herkimer's rear- 
guard broke and fled ; the remainder sustained a fierce conflict for more 
than an hour, interrupted about fifteen minutes by a sudden thunder^ 
storm. A bnllet shattered the leg of the brave old coniniander,f and 

liandsomc mausoleum near a church built on the reservation. His .sou .lolm was aetive 
on the side of the British in the Eastern movements of the War of 1812. 

In October, 1886, a slightly colossal statue of Brant, nine feet in height, in Indian 
costume, was unveiled on the 3Iohawk reservation at Brautford, on the Grand River, 
Ontario, Canada. Tlie likeness we give of the chief is from a miniature, exquisitely 
painted on ivory, from life, when Brant was in London in 178.5-86. It is in possession 
of the Brant family, and has ever been considered the best likeness of him ever painted. 

Colonel AVilliam L. Stone, the eminent journalist of New York fifty or .sixty years ago, 
has made the students of the history of our Commonwealth his debtors by his elaborate 
biographies of both Brant and the great Seneca chief, Red .Jacket, the most conspicuous 
representatives of the Iroquois Confederacy. 

* The garrison was without a flag when the invaders appeared. One was soon sup- 
plied, in pattern that was uniform with the prescription of the Continental Con.gress, by 
resolution, adopted a few weeks before — " thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, and 
thirteen stars displayed upon a blue tield. " Shirts were cut up to form the wlute stripes ; 
bits of scarlet cloth were joined for the red stripes, and the blue ground for the stars was 
composed of a portion of a cloth cloak belonging to Captain Abraham Swartwout. of 
Duchess County, N. Y., who was then in the fort. It is believed this was the tirst 
garrison flag displayed after the passage of the resolution of Congress on .June 14th, 1777. 

f Nicholas Herkimer (Herkheimer) w-as born about 1727, and died in 1777. He was a 
son of a Palatine who settled below Little Falls, in the Mohawk Valley, in the reign of 
Queen Anne, and Wiis one of the patentees of present Herkimer County. In 17.58 Nicliolas 
was made a lieutenant of provincials, and was in conuu.-uid of Fort Herkimer in that 
.vear. Ho was appointed colonel of the first battalion of Tryon Couiily niililia in 177.5 ; 
also chairman of the County Conmiittee of Safety, and in September. 1776. was made a 
l)rigadier-general by the Provincial Convention of New York. He died at his home ten 
days after he was wounded at the battle of Ori.skany. The Continental Congress voted to 
erect a monument to his memory of the value of |,500, but it lias never been done. 



273 



THE EMPIRE STATK 



killed the horse upon whicli he wus riiliiii,'. Seated vipon his saddle at 
the foot of a tree, he calmly gave orders. At length the Indians, hear- 
ing the tiring occasioned hy Willett's sortie, lied to the deep woods in a 
panic, and Avere soon followed by the equally alarmed Tories, leaving 
the patriots masters of the field. Herkimer was taken to his home helow 

the Little Falls of the ^fohawk. 
where he soon afterward died from 
excessive bleeding from his wound, 
the result of l)ad surgery. 

The siege of Fort Schuyler was 
vigorously pressed by St. Leger. 
On August Hth lie made a formal 
demand for the surrender of the 
fort. Tt was refused. Fi'aring the 
assailants might be re-enforeed, anil 
that his own jirovisions might fail, 
(^ansevoort sent Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel AVillott * to Schuyler to ask 
him tu furnish relief. Willett, 
with a single companion, who was 
an expert in woodcraft, left the 
fort stealthily during a series of 
heavy thunder-storms, lie reached 
the quarters of Schuyler at Still- 
water on the 12tli, and I'evealed the urgency of the case to the general. 

Schuyler, fully comprehending the importance of checking the 
advance of St. Leger in the M-est while endeavoring to i-oll back the 
invasion from the north, called a council of officers and ])ropDsed to send 
a detachment to the relief of Fort Schuyler. The council objected 
because of the pressing need <»f men for the army confronting Burgoyne. 




'/•" 



,J 



M.\RINUS WII.I.KTT. 



* >Iarinus 'Willett Tvas born at Jamaica, L. I., in 1740, and died in New York City in 
1830. He was graduated at King's (now Columbia) College, and soon afterward served 
with Abcrcrombie in the attack on Ticonderoga in 1758. He wsus with Bnulstreet 
against Fort Frontenac. Willett was one of the most eminent of the " Sons of Liberty," 
and became a captain in McDougal's regiment in the invasion of Canada in 177.5. He was 
promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the Third Xew York Kegiment. In 1777 he was in 
Fort Stanwix and assisted in its defence. In August he bore a message by stealth to 
General Schuyler asking for relief, which was sent. He was in the battle of Jlonmoutli 
in 1778, was with Sullivan in his campaign again.st the Indians in 1779, and in 17s4 
became sheriff of New York City, in which position he served ten years. In 1807 he 
was elected mayor of the city. He liad been appointed a brigadier-general in the army 
to act asainst the Indians in the North-west in 17H2. but declineil the honor. 



FORT SCHUYLER RELIEVED. 273 

Scliuvler heard one of the ofRcers say iu a half-suppressed whisper, '' lie 
means to ■weaken tlie army." This was an echo — an epitome — of the 
slanders witli whieli the general had been assailed since the evacuation of 
Ticonderoga. With hot indignation he turned upon the .slanderer, and 
imconsciousl}' biting in pieces a clay pipe that he was smoking, exclaimed 
in a voice that awed the whole company into silence : 

" Gentlemen, I shall take the responsibility upon m^'self ; where is 
the brigadier who will take command of the relief ? I shall beat up for 
volunteers to-morrow. " 

The brave Benedict Arnold, one of the council, who knew how unjust 
was the thought that there could be treason in the heart of General 
Schuyler, immediately stopped forward and offered his services. The 
drums beat for volunteers the next morning, and before noon (August 
13th) eight hundred stalwart men were enrolled for the relief expedition. 
They were chiefly from the Massachusetts brigade of General Larned. 

With such followers — men who had implicit confidence in him — Gen- 
eral Arnold pushed rajjidly up the Mohawk Valley. By stratagem, 
audacity, and prowess Arnold impressed the followers of St. Leger with 
the startling idea that the Americans advancing njson them were over- 
whelming in numbers.* So impressed, the Indians resolved to fly. Xo 
persuasions could hold them. Away they went, as fast as their legs 
could carry them, toward Oswego and the more western forests. They 
were followed by their pale-faced confreres, pell-mell, helter-skelter, in 
a race for safety to be found on the bosom of Lake Ontario. 

So was suddenly raised the siege of Fort Schuyler, and so ended the 
really formidable invasion from the west. 

The failure of the expedition of St. Leger f was a stunning blow to 
the hopes of Burgoyne. This disaster, following so closely tipon that 

* At the German Flats Arnold found a lialf idiotic Tory under sentence of deatli for 
some crime he had committed. His mother begged Arnold to pardon him. Her prayer 
was granted on the condition tliat he sliould accompany a friendly Oneida chief among 
the barbarians into St. Leger's camp, and by representing the oncoming Americans, from 
wliom they liad just escaped, as very numerous, frigliten them away. The prisoner 
consented. The Tory had .several shots fired through his coat, and with these evidences 
of a "terrible engagement with tlie enemy," he ran, almost out of breath, into the 
Indian camp. Pointing toward the trees and the sky he said : " They are as many as 
the leaves aud the stars at night." Very soon his companion, the Oneida, came running 
from another direction with the same storv, when, as we have seen above, the Indians 
fled. 

t Colonel Barry St. Leger entered the British army in 1749 ; came to America with his 
regiment in 17.57, and was with Wolfe at Quebec. He became lieutenant-colonel in 
1772, and was sent to Canada in 177.). After his failure in the ^Mohawk "\'alky he dis- 
xippears from history. He died in 1789. 



274 THK K.Ml'lUi: STATK. 

near BeiiniiiEjtoTi, stiigij;cvo(l liiin. Tlis vibions of conquest, '' orders," 
and perhaps a peerage for liiiuself vaiiislied. Ilis army was already con- 
quered. The sad news thorougldy dislieartened liis troops. The fidelity 
of the Indians, always fair-weather warriors, waned, and these ami 
Canadians and timid Tories became lukewarm, aiul they deserted hy 
hundreds. 

Burgoyne's perplexity was great. To ]>roceed would be madness ; to 
retreat would give hosts of friends to the Rejjublicans and dissipate tlie 
idea of British invincibility, lie complained to the ministry that Howe 
had not co-operated in liis favor by movements below, and consequently 
troops from above the Iligldands had swelled the Northern army of the 
Americans. lie resolved to remain where he was (on the heights of 
Saratoga, where Scluiyler\ille now stands) until the j^anic in his army 
should subside and he should receive supplies from posts on Lakes C'liam- 
])lain and George. By great diligence he soon afterward had sufficient 
provisions l)rought from Lake George to last his army a month. 

At this juncture, when Schuyler, who for weeks had retarded the 
invasion of Burgoyne with a handful of men ; when his wisdom, prowess, 
and patriotism were inducing recruits to flock to Ids standard, now tliat 
their summer crops were generally gathered and he was ready to strike a 
blow for victory, he was superseded in the command of the Xorthern 
Department by General Gates. This change had been effected by 
intrigues, a faction in Congress, and widely circulated slanders. That 
Schuyler was the victim of a conspiracy no careful student of our history 
can reasonably doubt. ■ Yet he patriotically acquiesced, and generously 
offered to give Gates all the aid in his power. Had Gates. wisely accepted 
the generous offer and acted with a proper spirit at that time, he might 
have gained an early victory over the invaders. But he did not act 
wisely, generously, nor efficiently, and when a victory was finally won in 
spite of 1dm, he was not entitled to the honor of achieving it. 

Burgoyne established an intrenched camp on the heights of Saratoga. 
Early in September Gates found himself in command of an army 
stronger in nundjers than the whole Britisii force oppo.sing him. The 
American forces were well posted on Bemis's Heights, two nales above 
Stillwater, the right M-ing resting upon the Hudson Kiver below the 
Heights, and their left upon gentle hills. Upon their front was a well- 
constructed line of fortiti(!ations. 

Imperious necessity compelled Burgoyne to move forward. He took 
a ])osition within two miles of the Americsm lines, and on the morning 
of Septendier l!>th he advanced to offer battle. He had no alternative 
but to tight or surrender, for he had been informed that General Lincoln, 



r.ATTLE OX BEMIS'S HEIGHTS. 275 

with two thousand Xew Enghind militia, had ixotteii in liis rear and had 
cut off his conimunication with Canada. On tlie day before, Colonel 
John Brown, despatched by General Lincoln with a few troops and some 
lioavy guns, had surprised an outpost between Ticoiideroga and Lake 
George ; had taken possession of Mount Defiance ; cannonaded Ticon- 
deroga and Fort Independence ; destroyed two hundred vessels, includ- 
ing seventeen gun-boats and an armed sloop, at the outlet of Lake 
George ; seized a large (quantity of stores ; released one hundred Ameri- 
can prisoners, and captured about three hundred British soldiers. 

Burgoyne's left wing, with an immense artillery train, commanded by 
Generals Phillips and Biedesel, kept upon the plain near the river. The 
centre and right, composed largely of Germans, e.xtendud across the 
rolling country on the Heights, and wore commanded by Burgoyne in 
person. Upon the hills on the extreme right General Fraser with 
grenadiei"s and Colonel Breyman with riflemen were posted for the pxu-- 
pose of outflanking the Americans. On the front and right Hank was a 
body of Canadians, Tories, and Indians designed to attack the central 
outposts of the Americans. 

During the morning General Arnold, who commanded a division, had 
observed through vistas in screening woods prejjarations of the foe for 
an attack, and urged General Gates to send out a detachment to confront 
them. But Gates had determined to act on the defensive within his 
lines, and hesitated. At length he permitted Colonel Morgan and his 
riflemen, and some infantry under Colonels Dearborn and Scammell, to 
make an attack upon the Canadians and Tories. After severe skirn)ish- 
ing the parties retired to their res]jective lines. 

At eleven o'clock Burgoyne gave a signal for his whole army to move 
forward. Gates seemed indisposed to fight, and remaineil in his tent. 
General Fraser began the battle by making a rapid movement to tiirn the 
.Vmericau left commanded by Arnold. At the same time Arnold, with 
equal celerity of movement, attempted to turn the British right. lie 
was frustrated by the refusal of Gates to send him ro-enforcements. He 
was forced back, when Fraser, by a quick movement, called up to his 
aid some German and other troops fron; Burgoyne's centre column. 
Arnold brought his whole division (chiefly New Englanders) into action 
and called for re-enforcements. They were not supplied ; yet he smote 
the enemy so lustily that their lino began to waver, and it soon fell into 
confusion. 

General Phillips, below the Heights, hearing the din of l)attle, hurried 
over the hills with fresh troops and artillery, followed by German 
dragoons under Riedesel, and appeared upon the ground just as victory 



276 TlIK K.Ml'IUK S'I'Ali;. 

soenied about to rest with the Americans. Still tlie ])attle raij:e(l. The 
raiiivS of tiie Britisii were l)ecoiiiiiiij; fearfully Ihiiiiied, when I'iedesel 
made a furious attack upon the flank of the Americans with cannon aiul 
inusketrv, which coni])elied tlioni to give way. So tiie Germans saved 
the I'ritish army from I'uin. 

At the middle of the afternoon there was a lull in the touipest of 
battle. It was soon succeeded by a nu)re violent outburst of furv. 
Burgoyue opened a iieavy cannonade upon the Americans, who made no 
response. Then he ordered a bayonet charge. As the invaders rushed 
forward to the assault their silent antagonists sprang forward from tiieir 
intreuchmcnts like tigers, and attacked the British so furiously with ball 
and bayonet that they soon recoile'l and were puslied far back. 

At that nionicnt Arnold Avas at headquarters seated on liis pow-erful 
liorse, vainly begging for re-enforcements. The sounds of battle made 
him exceedingly im|wtient, and wlicn it was announced that ilie conthct 
was indecisive he could uo longer brook delay, but turning his horse's 
head in the direction of the storm, exclaimed, " I'll soon put an eml to 
it I"' Putting spurs to his charger, he dashed away on a wild gallop, 
followed by a young staff officer (Wilkinson), who was sent by Gates to 
order the impetuous general back. The subaltern could iu)t overtrd'CC 
Arnold before he reached the scene of (tontlict, where, by words and 
deeds, the gallant general animated his troops. 

For three hours more tlie battle raged. The Americans had almost 
turned the British flank when Colonel I>reyman with his German rifle- 
men, fighting bravely, averted the blow that might have been fatal to 
the British army. The combatants had surged in doul)t backward and 
forward across the fields b'ke the ebb aiul flow of the tide. Darkness fell 
upon the .«cene and ended the conflict. The Ib-itish slept that niglit 
upon their arms, and the .VmericLiUS slumbered within their lines. The 
Amei'ican forces much outnuml)ered those of the British. 

Betty jealousies marked the conduct of the opposing chief commanders 
in this conflict. Twice the German troops had saved the British army 
during the battle. Burgoyne, regarding Riedesel with envy, withheld 
the honor due him in his ofticial report. Had Arnold been furnished 
■with re- enforcements wlien he asked for then^, no doubt lie would have 
won a victory in the morning. Gates was not seen on the field during 
the day,* nor any other general officer besides Arnold but Learned ; and 



* Tlic cdiicurniU testimony of contomporarics plainly shows that Gates scarcely left 
his tent (lurinir llii> day of Ihe liallli', anil that uiuUt its shelter he freely iniliilged iu 
strong drinks and in nnheeoinini; remarks coneerninir offieers of whom lie was jealous. 



BURGOYNE HOLDS A COUNCIL OF WAR. 277 

but f(ir tlie prowess and skill of the former, all candid historians admit 
that Burgoyne would undoubtedly have entered Albany in triumph as a 
victor at the autumnal equinox. Gates, angry because the army praised 
Arnold and Morgan, did not mention their names in his official report 
of the battle ! 

The wretched condition of his army was revealed to Burgoyne on the 
morning of the 2()th. He liad lost about six hundred men. He expected 
an immediate renewal of the battle by the Americans. With that 
impression he hastily buried his dead in holes and trenches, and withdrew 
to high ground about two miles from the American lines. The latter 
had good reason for removing within tlieir lines, for their anuuunition 
was exhausted. This fact was known onl}' to Gates. He was justified 
in not acceding to j\ mold's urgent request to attack the enemy on that 
morning. 

Burgoyne and the whole army were greatly depressed in spirits by the 
events of the 19th, yet, hourly expecting good news from Howe or 
Clinton below, he addressed his troops in a cheerful tone, and declared 
that he would either leave his dead body on the field or piish his way to 
Albany. On the following day he received a despatch from Clinton, 
who was in command at New York, promising aid by attacking the forts 
or the Hudson Highlands. He also gave him tlie cheering news of 
Howe's victory on the Brandywine Creek. Burgoyne assured Clinton 
that he could maintain his position until October 12th. 

Burgoyne waited many days for more tidings from Clinton. None 
came, and on the evening of October 4th he called a council of officers. 
Phillips proposed an attempt to turn the American left flank by a swift 
circuitous march. Riedesel favored a rapid retreat to Fort Edward. 
Fraser was willing to flght then and there. The latter course was agreed 
upon, and on the morning of the Ttli, after liquors and rations for four 
days had been distributed to the whole army, Burgoyne moved toward 
the American left with fifteen hundred picked men, eight brass cannons, 
and two howitzers. He formed a l)attle-line behind a forest screen three 
fourths of a mile from the American intrenchinents. Generals Riedesel, 
Phillips, and Fraser were with the lieutenant-general, who sent out a 
party composed of Canadians, Tories, and Indians to make a circuit 
through the woods, and, hanging upon the American rear, keep them iu 
check while he should attack them in front. 

Burgoyne was discovered before he was ready for battle. The drums 
of the Americans beat to arms, and an alarm was sent all along the lines. 
They had been re-onforced by Lincoln, and their army now numbered 
about ten tlujusand men — nearly double the number of tlie British force. 



278 THE EMPIHE STATE. 

Gates inquired tlie cause of tlie clisturljaiice, and wlicii lie .iscertained the 
trutli lie sent out Colonel .Morj^aii with his ritleinen and some infantry to 
secure a position to attack tlie liank and rear of the British rif;ht and to 
"begin the game." At the same time Kew Jlainpshire militia undei- 
General Poor and New "^Ork militia under General Tenbroeck advanced 
.jigainst the British left. 

Meanwhile the Canadians and Tories had turned tiie flank of tlie 
Americans and attacked their jjickets in the rear. The British grenadiers 
soon joined these assailants and drove the Americans back to their lines, 
Avhere a hot contest ensued, lasting half an hour. In that flght ^forgan 
and his men assailed the foe so vigorously that they were driven back in 
confusion to the Th'itish line, svhich then stood in battle order in an open 
field. Grenadiers under Major Acland and artillery commanded by 
Major Williams formed the left of the line upon rising ground. The 
centre was composed of Britons and Germans led by Phillips and 
Riedesel, and the extreme left of infantry under Earl Balcarras. General 
Fraser at the head of five hundred picked men was a short distance in 
advance of the P)ritish right ready to fall upon the left front of the 
Americans. 

Just as Burgoyne was about to advance, at three o'clock in the after- 
noon, he was astounded by the thunder of cannons on his left and the 
rattle of small arms on his right. New Engianders under (General Pooi- 
had moved stealthily up the slope, upon the crown of Mdiich were the 
troops of Acland and Williams, and pressed through the thick Mood 
toward the batteries of the latter. When the Republicans were dis- 
covered the British opened upon them a heavy storm of musket-l)alls and 
grape-shot with very little effect, for the missiles passed over their heads. 
The Americans then sprang forward with a shout and tired rapid volleys, 
when a fierce conflict ensued. The Itepublicans rushed up to the mouths 
of-the cannons and engaged in a hand-to-hand strnj'gle for victory amonii: 
the carriages of the fleld-i)ieces. Five times one of the cannons was 
taken and retaken. It Anally remained with the Americans, and as the 
British fell back Colonel Cilley mounted the gun, waved his sword liigh 
in air, and dedicated the weapon to " the American caiise." 

In this fierce combat Major Acland was seriously wounded * and ^lajor 
Williams was made a prisoner. Their men, panic-stricken, fled in con- 

* The wives of Gcnenil Riedesel, Major Acland, and others were with their liusbinds. 
When Mrs. Acland, a diiugliter of the Earl of Ilchester, heard of her husband's eon- 
dition — wounded and a ])risoner within the Anieriean lines — she obtained jicrniission 
from Burgoyne to go to him. She was admitted, and was at her hu.sband's Ix'dside at a 
hoiLse on Bemis's Heights until lie recovered sufBcienlly to proceed to New York. 



GENERAL ARNOLD UN THE liATTLE-FIELI). 279 

fusion, and the wliole eight brass cainions and tlie fiehl remained in pos- 
session of the Americans. 

Morgan in tlie mean time led an attatdc npon General Fraser and drove 
him back upon tlie British lines ; then falling upon their right tlank, he 
broke their ranks and put them in confusion. Colonel Dearborn attacked 
their front with fresh troops and broke their line, but it was soon rallied. 

It was at this moment that (renend Arnold reappeared upon the scene. 
Gates's treatment of him had so greatly irritated him that he had de- 
manded a ]iass to go to Washington's headquarters. It was readily 
granted, for Gates, now feeling sure of success, did not wish the brave 
general to have a share in the glory of the achievement. He did not 
thereby actually take the command of the divisionfrom Arnold, but he 
assigned its control to General Lincoln, who tried to reconcile the differ- 
ences between the two generals. The officers of the latter, by personal 
entreaties and a written address, persuaded him to remain, hut Gates 
refused to give him any command. Arnold had no authority even to 
Jiyhf, much less to order. He was eager to join in the condjat at the 
beginning. 

" Xo man," he exclaimed to his aides, "' shall keep me from the field 
to-daj'. If I am without command I will fight iu the ranks ; but the 
soldiers, God bless them ! will follow my lead." 

Thorougldy aroused by the din of battle at the moment just alluded 
to, Arnold leaped into his saddle and dashed away to the point of conflict 
in which his division was engaged, again followed by one of Gates's aides 
(Armstrong) with instructions to order him back. The chase was in 
vain. Arnold plunged into the thickest of the fight, where the subaltern 
dared not follow. His troo])s welcouied him with shouts. He immedi- 
ately led them against the British centre, riding along the lines, giving 
orders, and exposed to imminent peril every moment. 

The Germans received the first furious assault from Arnold's troojw. 
They made a brave resistance and flung the assailants back at first, but 
when at a second charge Arnold dashed among them at tlie liead of his 
troops, they broke and fled in dismay. 

And now the battle became general all along the line. Arnold and 
Morgan were the ruling spirits that controlled the storm on the part of 
the Ameri(!ans. The jjallant Fraser M-as the direetina; soul of the British 
troops in action. His skill and courage were everywhere conspicuous. 
When the lines gave way he brought order out of confusion ; M'hen regi- 
ments began to waver he infused courage into them by voice and 
example. The fate of the l)attle evidently depended upon him. 

Arnold ]ierceivod this, atul said to "ACorgan, •' That officer in full 



2S0 TITK K^[I>II!1•. SI'ATK. 

utiifonn is General Fraser. It is essential to our success tliat lie l)e dis- 
])i)se(l of. Direct the attention of some of tlie sliar])slioi>ters of vour 
ritlenien to Iiini.'' Tlie order was olieyed, and verv soon Fniser fell 
from liis liorse iiiDrtaliv wimiided. It is diffitnilt for a ininiane and tren- 
erous mind to acci']>t anv excuse for tliis ci'uel order and the deed tiiat 
ensued." 

When tlie gallant Kraser fell a panic, ran along the British line. At 
tliat moment tiiree tiionsand New York militia under (xeneral Tenbroeck 
a])peared, M'lien tlie wavering line gave way and the British troops, 
(•overed by Phillips and Kiedesel, fled to their intrenehinents. Up to 
these works, in the face of a terrible tempest of bullets and grape-shot, 
the Americans eagerly pressed, with Arnold at their head, who was seen 
at all j)oints, through the snl|)liuroiis smoke, encouraging his men. His 
voice could be heard above the din of battle. "With a part of the 
brigades of Generals Paterson and (rlover he drove the troops of Earl 
lialcarras from an (ih/tlis at the point of the bayonet, and attempted to 
force his WAX into the liritish cani[). l''ailiiig in this, he led Learned's 
brigade against the British right. For a while the result was doubtful, 
but at length the Britons gave way, leaving the Germans under General 
Specht entirely exposed. 

At this moment Arnold ordered up from the left the New York regi- 
ments of Colonels Wessen and Livingston and jMorgan's riflemen to make 
a ceneral assault, while he, with the Massachusetts regiment of Colonel 
Brooks, attacked the Germans comnianded by Colonel Breynian. He 
rushed into the sally-port on his horse and spread terror among them. 
They had seen him for two hours in the thickest of the light unhurt, and 
tliey regarded him with superstitious awe as a charmed character. They 
Itroke and tied. A bullet from a parting volley which they gave on 
their retreat killed ^Vrnold's horse and wounded him in the same leg that 
was badly hurt at Quebec, -lust then (iates's subaltern overtook the 
wfiunded and victorious Arnold and gave his commander's order to return 
to cam]) I Gates had expressed a fear that Arnold might " do some rash 
thing." He lia<l done a "rash thing" in achieving a decisive victory 
M-hi(di (iates was incoin]>etent to win. Yet the hitter clainu'<l and 
received the honors of the achi(^venient 



* Goneral Fni.ser died nil (he moinin^ nfliT tlie liiilllc. His body was liuru'd at tlie 
evening twilight of tlie same day within a redoubt upon a gentle eniinence. which the 
(lying hero designated as the place of his sepulture. It was followed to the grave by 
Burgoyne and a large miinber of otlk-ers. As soon as the solemn character of the proces- 
sion was recognized by the Americans a cannonade which they had begun cea.sed, and 
thev tired minute-guns in honor of the memorv of the brave soldier. 



THE SURRENDER OF BURCJOYNE. 



281 



Tlie rout of tlio Gennaiis was complete. They threw down their anus 
and ran, and could not be rallied. Colonel Breynian v,as mortally 
wounded. Darkness ended the conflict. 

Burjjoyne, resolved to retreat, withdrew his whole force a mile north 
of his intrench ments, and on the night of the Sth he marched, in a cold 
rain-storm, for the heights of Saratoga, wi)ere tlie troops arrived, in a 
most wretched plight, on the morning of the loth. They had burned the 
mansion, mills, and other property 
of General Schuyler on their way. 

The American army also moved 
northward, and a part of it took a 
position on the hills on the east 
side of the Hudson directly op- 
posite Burgoyne's cam]) and within 
cannon-shot of it. Satisfied that 
he could neither tight nor retreat 
with safety, Burgoyne opened nego- 
tiations with Gates for a surrender 
upon honorable terms. A capitu- 
lation was signed, and on October 
17th, 1777, his troojis laid down 
their arms in submission on the 
plain, near the Hudson, in front of 
(present) Schuylerville. Burgoyne 

surrendered his sword to Gates at the headquarters of the latter, not 
far from the ruins of General Schuyler's property.* 

The whole number of troops surrendered to the Americans at Saratoga 
was five thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine, of whom two thousand 
four hundred and twelve were Germans. Besides these there were 
eighteen hinidred prisoners of war, including sick and wounded. The 
entire loss of the British army after they entered the State of New \ ork, 
including those under St. Leger, who were disaliled or captured at Fort 
Schuyler and Oriskany, was almost ten thousand men. On Burgoyne's 



i"^ 




PHII^Il' SCHUYLER. 



* The value of tlie property destroyed was fully $50,000. When General Schuyler 
heard of his loss lie wrote to Colonel Varick : " The event [the victory] that has taken 
jilace makes the heavj' loss I have sustained sit quite easy upon me. Britain will prob- 
ably see how fruitless her attempts to enslave us will be." 

After the surrender of Burjroyne, Schuyler entertained the captive oviieral at his hovise 
in -Vlbany. The latter spoke feelinaly of the injury his troops had done to the private 
property of General Schuyler. " Say nothing about it," responded Schuyler ; " it was 
the fortune of war." 



282 



Tin-; EMPIRE STATE. 



staff were six members of Parlianu'iit. Among the spoils were forty- 
two pieces of tlie best brass camion then known, forty-six hundred 
musl<ets and rifles, and a large (juaiitity of munitions of war. Congress 
awarded tlianks and a gold medal to Gates. 

Very generous terms were granted to r>urgoyne 1)V the capitulation. 
The trt)ops were hold as ])risoners of M"ai', l)ut allowed a free passage to 
Europe for those who wished to go there, and free permission for the 
Canadians to return to their lR)mes on the condition that none of the 

troops surrendered should serve 
against the Americans. The cu])- 
tives were marched to Cambridge, 
near I'oston, expecting to embark 
for England, (^oiigress ratified the 
generous terms, but ^Vashingtoll 
and that body were soon convinced 
liy circumstances that IJurgoyne 
and his officers intended to violate 
the agreehnent at the first oppor- 
tunity. It was therefore resolved 
not to let the caj)tives go until the 
British (xovernment should ratify 
the terms of the capitulation. Here 
was a dileinnia. Tiiat (iovurnment 
could not recognize the authority 
of Congress. So the " convention troops,'' as the captives were called, 
were sent to ^'il■gillia, and they remained idle in America four or five 
years. lbiri;oyno and his chief oiKcers were allowed to depart for home. 
The surrender of IJurgoyne was a turning-point in the war in favor of 
the Americans. It ins])irited the patriots ; revived the credit of the 
Continental (Tovernment ; the armies were rapidly recruited, and public 
opinion in Europe set strongly in favor of the struggling patriots. In 
less than four months after this event France had formed a treaty of 
alliance with the United States and acknowledged their independence. 




THE GATES MEDAL. 



ATTACKS OX FORTS CLINTON AND MONTGOMERY. 283 



CHAPTER XX. 

AViiiL?: Genei'al Burgoyne M^as struggling for victory and conquest in 
the upper valley of the Hudson, General Sir Henry Clinton, whom 
Howe had left in command at New York, was making earnest endeavors 
to aid him and to gain possession of the country between Albany and the 
sea. 

At the lower entrance to the Highlands the Americans had erected 
two forts — '' Clinton"' and " Montgomeiw"' — on the west side of the 
Hudson. They were upon a high, rocky shore, one on each side of a 
small stream. Between these forts and Anthony's Nose (a lofty hill) 
opposite they had stretched a boom and chain, as we have observed, to 
check British vessels ascending the river. These forts M'ere under the 
immediate command of Generals George and James Clinton, the former 
then Governor of the State of New York. There was another fort 
(" Constitution") Tipon an island opposite West Point. They were all 
under the chief command of the veteran General Israel Putnam, whose 
headquarters was at Peekskill, just below the Highlands. The garrisons 
of these posts were weak at the begimiing of October (1777), the aggre- 
gate number of troops not exceeding two thousand. 

Sir Henrv Clinton had M"aited at New York very impatiently for the 
arrival of re-enforcemeuts. They came at the beginning of October, 
after floating npim the bosom of tlie Atlantic Ocean about three months. 
On the morning of the 4th ho went np the Hudson with between three 
and four thousand troops, in many armed and unarmed vessels com- 
manded by Commodore Hotham, and landed his men at Yerplanck's 
Point, a few miles below Peekskill, feigning an attack iqion the latter 
DOst. This feint deceived Putnam, and he sent to the Highland forts 
for re-enforcements. But Governor Clinton was not deceived, and held 
back all the forces iu the Highlands. 

At dawn on the morning of October Cth, under cover of a dense fog^ 
Sir Henry crossed the river to Stony Point with a little nmre than two 
thousand men. He there divided his forces. One party under General 
Vaughan, acconqjanied by the liaronet, pushed on through a defile in 
the rear of the lofty Donderberg to fall npon Port Clinton. The party 
numbered about twelve hundred. Another party nine hundred strong, 
under Lieutenant-Colonel Canqibell, made a longer march around Bear 



284 



TlIK EMPIRE STATE. 



Mountain, to fall upon Fort Montgomery at the same time. Sir Ileniv 
liad ordered his war vessels to anclior within point-blank eannou-.shot of 
the forts to co-operate in an attack upon them. On the herders of Lake 
Sinnipink, at the foot of Bear ^[ountain, Yaughan encountered some 
troops sent out by Governor Clinton, and a severe but short l)attle ensued. 
The Americans fell back to the fort. Lieutenant-Colonel Campl)ell ap- 
peared before Fort Montgomery toward evening, when a peremptory 
demand for the surrender of both ])0sts Avas made. It was refused with 

■words of sconi, when a simultaneous 
attack was made upon both forts by 
the forces on laud and water. The 
garrisons, mostly militia, lield out 
bravely until dark, wlien tlieysought 
safety in the adjacent mountains. 
Many were slain or made prisoners. 
Governor Clinton escaped across 
the river, and at uddnight wa.s in 
Putnam's camp at Pcekskill. His 
brother (_(Tciieral James Clinton), 
badly wounded, made his way over 
the mountains to his lunae at New 
Windsor. The frigate Monhjoinenj, 
a ten-gun sloop, and a row-galley 
lying above the boom attempted 
to escape, but could not for want of 
wind, so their crews set them on tire and abandoned them. The con- 
flagration was a magnificent spectacle. A British oflicer wrote con- 
cerning it : 

" The flames siuldunly liroke forth, and as every sail was set the 
vessels soon became magnificent pyramids of fire. Tiie reflection on 
the steep face of the opposite mountain, and the long train of ruddy 
light which shone upon the waters for a ])rodigiou.s distance, had a 




rAMES (CLINTON. 



* Guntral .Jiuncs Clinton was born in Oningc County, N. V., iu 17aO. anil died there 
in 1812. He was fond of military life. At the age of twenty-two he was a eajilain 
under Bradstreel in the capture of Fort Frontenac. He was afterwar<l in command of 
four regiments for the protection of the frontiers of Ulster and Orange counties. When 
the war for independence began he was a|>poinled colonel of the Third Xew York 
Regiment, and accompanied Jlonlgomery to Quebec. He was make a brigadier-general 
iu August, 1776, and was active in the si-rvice during a greater part of the war. He 
joined Sullivan's expedition against the Indians in 1779, and was stationed at Albany 
most of the time afterward ; yet he was present at the surrender of Cornwallis. He 
lield civil offices after the war. f!ineral Clinton was the father of De 'Will Clinton. 



CLINTON'S BULLET DESPATCH. 



285 




CLINTON S DESPATCH. 



wonderful effect ; while the ear -was awfully tilled with the uontinued 

eclioes from the rocky shores as the flames gradually reached the loaded 

cannon. The whole was suhlimely terminated by the explosion, which 

left all again in dark- 
ness.'" 

The boom and chain 

were broken by the 

Britisli early on the 

morning of the 7th, 

and a flying squadron 

of light vessels com- 
manded by Sir James 

Wallace, bearing the 

whole land force of 

Sir Henry Clinton, 

went up the Hudson 

to devastate its shores 

and keep the militia 

from joining Gates. 

They took possession 

of Fort Constitution 

on the war. At the same time Sir Henry despatched a messenger with 

a, note to Burgoyne, as follows : 

"JVoiis y void [Here I am], and nothing between mo and Gates. I 

sincerely liope this little success of ours may facilitate your operations. 
In answer to your letter of September 2Sth by 
C. C, I shall only say I cannot presume to order, 
or even to advise, for reasons obvious. I wish 
you success. — II. Clintox.'' 

This despatch was written on tissue paper and 
enclosed in an elliptical hollow silver bullet made 
so as to l)e opened at the middle, and of a size 
to lie swallowed conveniently. The messenger 
was sent up the west side of the river, and while 
in the camp of Governor Clinton, near Xew 
Windsor, he was suspected of being a spy. He 
was arrested, and was seen to suddenly put 

something in his mouth and swallow it. An emetic was administered, 

when the silver bullet was discovered and its contents were revealed. 

He was hanged as a spy not far from Kingston while that village Avas in 

flames, kindled by the hands of British incendiaries. 






SIl.VEK BULLET. 



280 Tin-: E.MPiHi-; state. 

The British troops in tlie inaraiuliiig expedition, tliirty-six liundred 
strong, were coninianded by General Van^lian. Every vessel found on 
tlie river was burned or otherwise destroyed. Tlie houses of known 
"Whigs on tlie shores were lired upon, and small parties landing from the 
vessels desolated neig]ilK)rlK)ods witli fire and sword. Tliev penetrated 
as far north as Ivingston (Ulster County), then the political capital of 
the State, and applying the torcli (October 13th), laiil almost every jiouse 
in the village in aslies. The Legislature fled to Ducliess County, and 
soon afterward resumed their sittings at Poughkeepsie. 

Leaving Ivingston, the marauders went up the river as far as Living- 
ston's Manor, destroying much property at Iiiiinebeck on the way. 
They had begun to desolate Livingston's estate when they were arrested 
by the alarming intelligence of IJurgoyne's defeat. Then they made a 
hasty retreat to New York. 

So ended the efforts of the Hritish i[inistr\- for taking possession of 
the valleys of the Hudson and Lake Chanijilain. On the surrender of 
Burgoyne the invaders M-ore compelled to evacuate Ticonderoga and 
Crown Point. Britisii power was now prostrated in the northern section 
uf Xew York, and the Americans were nuistors of tiic territory of tlie 
commonwealth from tlie l)orders of Canada alnmst to tiie sea. 

While the events just recorded were occurring in the vicinity of the 
Hudson or North River, very important events were occurring beyond 
the Delaware or the South Biver. For several weeks Washington and 
Howe confronted each other in hostile movements in New Jersey, each 
doubtful of the intentions of the other. Finally, at tlie close of June, 
tlie British troops left New Jersey and passed over to Staten Island ; and 
on July 23d Ilowe, leaving Sir Henry Clinton in comnuuid at Xew 
York, end)arked with eighteen thousand troops for more southern waters. 

Susjiecting Howe's destination to be the Continental seat of govern- 
ment, Washington, leaving a strong force on the Hudson, hastened to 
Philadelphia, where he was joined l)y the young ^larquis de Lafayette as 
a volunteer. Hearing tliat the Ih-itish army had landed at the head of 
Chesapeake Bay, he pushed on to meet Howe. They came in collision 
on the l^anks of the Brandywine Creek on Se]7tend)er 11th, when a very 
severe battle was fought. The .Vmericans were defeated, and their 
shattered battalions retreated to Philadelphia. 

So soon as his troojis were rested Washington recrossed the Schuylkill 
aiul proceeded to confront Howe, who was slowly moving toward the 
Continental capital. Some skirmishing occurred, and on the night of 
Septcjid)er 20th a detachment under General Wayne was surprised near 
the Paoli Tavern and lost about three huiulred men. 



CONSPIRACY AGAINST WASHINGTON. 287 

While Washington was engaged in securing liis stores at Iluading, 
Howe suddenly crossed the Schuylkill and took possession of Piiiiadel[)liia 
(September 26th, 1777) without opposition. The Continental Congress 
tied at his approach, iirst to Lancaster and then to York, beyond the 
Susquehanna. It reassembled at York on Septendjer 30th, and con- 
tinued its sessions there until the following summer. The British a.vmj 
encamped at Germantown, about four miles from Philadelphia. 

Howe's troops had landed at the head of Chesapeake Bay. While 
they were pressing on toward Philadelphia the fleet that bore them sailed 
round to the Delaware, I)ut could not pass obstructions which had been 
placed in the river just below the city. Above these obstructions were 
two forts, Mifflin, upon an island, and Mercer, upon the Xew Jersey 
shore.. These were captured by Britons and Germans sent from Howe's 
camp, after stout resistance. They took possession of the forts before 
the middle of Xovember. This conquest greatly strengthened Howe's 
position. 

Meanwhile the British canqi at Germantown had been attacked early 
on the morning of October 4th. A severe battle ensued, which con- 
tinued nearly three hours. The Americans, who became confused by a 
dense fog that began to rise at dawn, were defeated, and retired to their 
camp on Skippack Creek. Washington soon prepared to put them into 
winter quarters at Whitemarsh, only fourteen miles from Philadelphia. 
Howe broke up his encampment at Germantown, and made Philadelphia 
the winter quarters of his army. 

AVashington did not remain long at AVhitemarsh, for lie found a more 
eligible position. He broke up the camp toward the middle of December 
and remos'ed to Valley Forge, where he was at a greater distance from 
his foe and could more easily protect the Congress, and his stores at 
lieading. For about six months the American ariuy lay at Yalley Forge, 
and suffered intensely for want of sufficient food, clothing, and shelter 
during the first half of that period. It was tiie severest ordeal in which 
the patriotism of the soldiers was tried during tlie long war for inde- 
pendence. 

It was at this jieriod that the conspiracy' of General Gates aiul others 
to deprive Washington of the chief command of the American armies 
was in active operation — a conspiracy known in history as " Conway's 
Cabal."* Gates was then president of the Board of War, sitting at 



* Count de Conway, of Irish birth, was anionj; the French brigadiers in the Con- 
tinental service. He never won the confidence of ^\'aslliugtou, and when it was proposed 
to promote him to an important command tlie commander-in-chief strenuously opposed 



288 THE E.Ml'lUi: STATE. 

York, the residence of Congress. Tliat Hoard planned a winter cam- 
paign against Canada. So fcasihlo seemed tlie i)lan and so glorious werr 
the results to he obtained, as set forth by Gates and his friends, that 
Congress approved. The ardent Lafayette was captis'ated, and strongly 
urged its prosecution. Washington was not consulted. lie, however, 
obtained such valuable infonuation from (ieneral Schuyler, showing the 
absnrdity of the midertaking, that he not only perceived the jilan to be a 
part of the scheme to dei^rivc him of the chief command, but he was 
enabled to defeat the project and thus save his country from a most 
perilous, if not ruinous midertaking. 

The Board of AVar, evidently hoping to win Lafayette to the support 
of their schemes by conferring honors upon him, appointed him com- 
mander of the expedition. This also was done without consulting Wash- 
ington. The shrewd young marcpiis very soon suspected his appoint- 
ment was a part of the scheme to injure his revered friend, and lie 
resolved to show his colors at the tirst opportunity. His suspicions were 
confirmed while on a visit to York to receive his instructions. At table, 
with Gates and other members of the P.oard of War, wine flowed freely 
and many toasts Avere given. Lafayette finally arose and said : 

" Gentlemen, one toast, I perceive, has l)ccn omitted, and which I 
M-ill now give." They filled their glasses, when he gave, "' The com- 
mander-in-chief of the American ai'mies." The coldness with which the 
sentiment was received contirnicd the manpiis's worst o])inions of the 
men around him. 

Lafayette, with General Conway, who was appointed third in com- 
mand, proceeded to Albany, where he was cordially received by General 
Schuvler, and became his guest. It was evident that with materials at 
hand a successful expedition into Canada was impossible. The marquis 
had been promised three thousand men well supplied. There were not 
twelve hundred men at Albany fit for duty, and one fourth of these were 
too naked even for a summer campaign. Gates had assured him that 
General Stark with Xew England troops would be at Ticonderoga await- 
ing his coming, and that he would have burned the British fleet on Lake 
Champlain before his arrival. lie only found a letter from Stark impiir- 
ing what number of men, from where, and at what rendezvous he desired 
him to raise. 

The marquis now fully comprehended the vile trick of which he had 



the measure. Conwuy was otTindcd, niid Iiciainc !i willing instruiiHiit of Gate.s in liis 
con.spiraey. The proiniiiciil part wliitli he tool; in tli;it movement caused it to be called 
" Conwav's Cabal." 



COUNCIL WITH THE INDIANS. iSO 

been made tlie victim. He had been ntterlj deceived by the false utter- 
ances of Gates. "I fancy," he wrote, "the actual scheme is to liave 
me out of this part of the country and General Conway as chief under 
the immediate connnaud of Gate.s." The conspirators found they could 
not use Lafayette. Congress abandoned the enterprise, and the marquis, 
disgusted with the whole affair, returned to Washington's camp at Valley 
Forge. 

The British held possession of Fort Niagara and exercised a powerful 
influence over the Six Nations, especially the more western tribes. They 
had nearly all become more or less disaffected toward the American 
cause, and at the close of 1777, so threatening became their aspect, that 
Congress recommended the Commissioners of Indian Affairs of New 
York to hold a treaty with them, defining the chief objects to be (1) to 
induce the Indians to make war upon their enemies, M'ho were then 
desolating the frontier settlements of Pennsylvania and Virginia, and 
(2) to induce them to surprise and capture the British post of Niagara. 

The connnissioners complied. A council was opened at Johnstown 
early in March (1778), at which about seven hundred barbarian delegates 
appeared. Lafayette accompanied the commissioners. James Deane, 
an Indian agent living among the Oneidas, was the interpreter of a 
speech sent by Congress and read by General Schuyler, in wliich the 
power of the United States was asserted most emphatically, and the 
magnanimous manner in which they had always treated the Six Nations 
was recounted. The speech charged the Indians with ingratitude, 
cruelty, and treachery, and demanded reparation for their crimes. From 
these charges the Oneidas and Tuscaroras were exempted. 

The council was not satisfactory. The Mohawks and Cayugas were 
sullen ; the Senecas refused to send delegates. An Oneida sachem, con- 
scious of the faithfulness of his people (and also of the Tuscaroras) to 
their pledges of neutrality, spoke eloquently in Ijehalf of both, and these 
two nations renewed their pledges. It was clearly evident, however, 
that the more powerful of the Six Nations, with Brant at their head, 
were devising schemes for avenging their losses at Oriskany, and that war 
was inevitable. " It is strange," said the Senecas, by a messenger sent 
to announce their refusal to attend the conference. " that while your 
tomahawks are sticking in our heads [referring to the battle of Oriskany], 
our wounds bleeding, and our eyes streaming with tears for the loss of 
our friends, the connnissioners should think of inviting us to a treaty." 

Earnest efforts were made to avert war with the Indians. Attempts 
to recruit four hundred warriors of the Six Nations for the Continental 
service were only partially successful. When the news of the alliance 



290 TlIK EMl'lKE STATE. 

witli France \v:is roceived, early in -May, it was circulated as widely as 
possible among the Iroquois tribes. But little impression seemed to have 
been made upon the barbarians, and the wliite people bej^an at once to 
make preparations to meet hostility. At Ciierry Valley the house of 
Samuel Campbell, the strongest in the settlement, was fortified ; ami in 
the Sclioliarie Valley three buildings were intrencdied with breastworks 
and block-houses and stockaded, i)y order of Lafayette. Each was 
garrisoned and armed witli a small Ijrass field-piece. These were called 
respectively the Upper, the ^liddle, and the Lower Fort. To these 
strongholds the women and children might fly for safety. Forts Schuyler 
and Dayton (the latter on tlie site of the village of Herkimer) were 
strengthened, and Fort Plain, lower down the ^[ohawk Valley, was 
enlarged and better armed. 

Tiiese precautionary movements were not made too soon. They were 
keenly watched by Sir John Johnson and his kinsmen and friend>. 
Among them the most active were Colonels Jolm Butler, Guy Johnson, 
and Daniel Claas, the latter Sir John's l)rotiier-in-law. At the same 
time a nephew of Sir Guy Carleton was lurking near Johnson Hall for 
the same purpose. 

We liave ol)served tliat I'.rant returned from Canada in the spring of 
1777 with a large band of Mohawk warriors. After tlie dispei"sion of 
St. Leger's invading force, in August, Brant and his followers retired to 
Fort Niagara, and there dui'ing the ensuing winter and spring they made 
preparations for war. 

Early in the spring of 1778 Brant ami his warriors appeared at 
Oghkwaga, their place of I'endezvous the jwevious year. There he 
organized scalping parties and sent them out upon the borderers, cutting 
them off in detail. They fell like thunderbolts upon isolated families. 
Very soon the hills and valleys were nightly illuminated by the blaze of 
burning dwellings and made hideous by the shrieks of women and 
children. The inhabitants stood continually on the defensive. Men 
cultivated the fields with loaded muskets slung upon their backs. 
Women were taught the use of fire-arms, and half-grown children 
liecame expert scouts and discerners of Indian trails. Such w;us the con- 
dition of the settlers in the ^lohawk region and the country south of it 
during a greater portion of the war. 

In May (1778) Brant desolated Springfield, at the head of Otsego 
Lake, ten miles from Cherry Valley. Every house was laid in ashes. 
At the beginning of June he was in the Schoiiarie Valley with ai>out 
three hundred and fifty Indian followers, and on the upper watei-s of the 
Cobleskill he had a .severe encounter with some regulars and militia com- 



MASSACRE AT CHERRY VALLEY. 291 

inanded by Captains Brown and Patrick. Twenty-two of tlio Rejnil)- 
iieans wure killed and several were wounded. The houses in that region 
were plundered and burnt. A month later the terrilile tragedy in the 
AVyoMiing Valley (to be noticed presently) occurred. 

The Johnsons and their Tory followers were the allies of the barbarians 
in tiieir bloody work south of the Mohawk Rivx-r. Tlie most savage of 
these Tories was Walter j^. Bntler, sou of Colonel John Butler, who 
was in conunand of a detachment of his father's liaiujers and had joined 
Brant. The latter, who was humane and even generous toward women 
and children placed at his mercy,* detested young Butler for his 
cruelties, and at first refused to serve with him. The matter was finally 
adjusted, and at near the middle of i^ovcmber (177S), during a heavy 
storm of sleet, the two leaders and their followers fell upon Cherry 
Valley, the wealthiest and most important settlement on the head-waters 
of the Susquehanna River, in Xew York. 

A fort had been erected at Cherry Valley around a church l)y order of 
Lafayette, and was garrisoned by some Continental troops commanded 
by C'olonel Ichaljod Alden. He was forewarned by reports of approacli- 
ing danger, but would not believe the messengers. He was tliei-efore 
unprepared for an attack when, early in the morning of Xovendier 11th, 
snow, rain, and hail falling copiously, the motley hosts of Brant and 
IJutler burst n]ion the settlement. Tliey murdered, plundered, and 
destroyed without stint. Birtler was the arch-fiend on that occasion, 
anil would listen to no appeals from Brant for mercy to their victims. 

The invaders first entered the hoiise of Mr. 'Wells, who.se wife was a 
daughter of the venerable minkster, ^Ir. Dtmlap. They massacred the 
whole family. Old}- his son John, afterward the eminent lawyer of 
New York, who was then at school in Schenectady, was saved. The 
family consisted of Mr. Wells, his wife and four children, his mother, 
lirother, sister, and three servants. Colonel Alden, wlio was in the 
house at the time, was tomahawked and scalped. The savages then 
rushed to the dwelling of Rev. Afr. Dunlap and slew his wife before his 



* M:iny instances of Brant's humanity are related. When, in 1780, he and Sir John 
Johnson desolated the Mohawk and Sehoharie valleys an infant was carried otT. The 
frantie mother pursued, l>ut could not recover her bahe. A day or two afterward 
General Van ReiissehuM-, in eommand of Fort Hiniter, received a visit from a youn.i? 
Indian bearing; the infant in Ids arms, and a letter from Brant, who wrote : '' Sir : I 
send you by one of mv lunners the child which he will deliver, that you may know th:'.t 
wliatevcr others may do, /do not make war upon women and children. I am sorrj- to 
sny that I liave those engaged with me who are more savase than the .savajres tliem- 
- Ives. " He named the Butlers and others. 



292 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

eyes. His own life aiul tlmt of liis daughter were saved Ijy the inter- 
position of a Mohawk chief.* 

Thirty-two of tlie inhabitants of Clierry Valley, mostly women and 
c'liiklren, were murdered ; also sixteen soldiers of the garrison there. 
Nearly forty men, women, and children were led away captives, march- 
ing down the valley that night in the cold storm, hnddled together, half 
naked, with no shelter but the leatless trees, and no rest iug-j)l ace but the 
cold, wet gnnind.+ With the destruction of Cherry Valley all hostile 
movements ceased in Tryon County, and were not resumed until the 
following spring. 

A few months before this event the dreadful tragedy in the Wyoming 
Valley occurred, in which the chief actors were Tories and Iroijuois 
Indians from New York. That valley is a beautiful and picturescpie 
region of Pennsylvania, lying between lofty ranges of mountains and 
watered by the Susquehanna Jliver, which flows through it. Its inhab- 
itants were mostly from Connecticut. At the close of June (1778) 
Colonel John Eutler, with over a thousand Tories and Indians, entered 
the valley from the north and made his headquarters at the house of 
Wintermoot, a Tory. He had been guided by some Tories of the valley, 
who had juined them. Butler had captured a little fort in the u|)per 
part of the valle}'. 



* Unfortunately, Brant wa-s not in cliief command of the expedition. Walter Butler 
■was the commander. 15rant did all in his power to prevent the shedding of innocent 
blood. On the morning of the attack he left the Indians and endeavored to reach the 
families of Jlr. Wells, jMr. Dunlap, and others, to give them warning, hut coidd not do 
it in time. He entered dwellings to give the women warning. In one the woman 
engaged in household duties replied to his advice to fly to some place of safety : " I am 
in favor of the king, and the Indians won't hurt me." 

" That plea will not save you." Brant replied. 

" There is one, .Joseph Brant." said the woman ; " he will protect me." 

" I am .Jo-seph Brant, hut I have not the command, and I may not Ik" able to save 
you," he Replied. 

At that moment he saw the Senccas approaching. "Get into bed tjuick." he slid. 
" and feign yourself sick." 

The woman did so, and so he saved her. Then he gave a shrill signal, which rallied 
the Jlohawks, when he directed them to paint his mark upon the woman ami her 
children. 

" You are now probahlj- safe," said Brant, and departed. 

f Among the captives were the wife and four children of Colonel Samuel Cani])bcll. 
who.se house had been fortified. Ho was absent at the time, and on his return he found 
his property laid waste and his family carried into captivity. They were taken through 
the wilderness to Fort Niagara. They were treated kindly by the Senecas, and wi're 
held as hostages for the safely and exchange of the family of Colonel John Butler, who 
were then in the cu.stody of the Committee of Safety at Albany. 



DESOLATION OF THE WYOMING VALLEY.' 293 

The wholo luilitury force to oppose this invasion was composed of a 
small company of regnlars and a few militia. When the alarm was 
given the whole population flew to arms. Aged men, hoys, and even 
women seized such weapons as were at hand and joined the soldiery. 
Colonel Zebulon Butler, an officer of the Continental Army, happened to 
lie at home, and by common consent he was made commander-in-chief 
of the defenders. Forty Fort, a short distance above Wilkesbarre, was 
the place of general rendezvoiis, and in it were gathered the women and 
children of the valley. 

On July 3d Colonel Butler led his little band of patriots— citizens and 
soldiers — to attempt a surprise of the camp of the invaders at Winter- 
moot's. The latter, informed of the movement, were ready to receive 
them. The Tories formed the right of the line of the intruders, resting 
on the river ; the Indians, led by Gi-en-gwa-tah, a Seneca chief,* were 
on the left on a line that extended to a swamp at the foot of the moun- 
tain. Upon the latter the defenders struck the first blow, when a 
general battle ensued. For half an hour it raged furiously, when, just 
as the Indians were about to give way, a mistaken order caused the 
Republicans to retreat in much confusion. Tlie infuriated barbarians 
sprang forward like wounded tigers and gave no quarter. The ))atriots 
were slaughtered by scores. Only a few of them escaped to the moun- 
tains and were saved. In less than an hour after the battle began two 
hundred and twenty-five scalps were in the hands of the Seneca Itraves. 

Terror now reigned at Forty Fort, to which the women and children 
had fled. They had heard the fearful yells of triumph of the Indians. 
Colonel Dennison, who had reached the valley that morning, had escaped 
to the fort and prepared to defend its inmates to the last extremity. 
Colonel Zebnlon Butler had reached Wilkesbarre fort in safety. 

* The earlier historians of this event asserted (and believed) that Brant and the Jlohawks 
•were the chief actors in this dreadful tragedy. Brant denied it, but the testimony of 
history was against him. Campbell, in his poem, " Gertrude of Wyoming," published In 
1809, piisled by the historians, makes an Oneida chief say : 

" 'Gainst Brant himeelf I went to battle forth ; 
Accursed Brant ! he left, of all my tribe. 
Nor man, nor child, nor thing of li\ing birth — 
No ! not the dog that watched my household hearth 
Escaped that night of blood upon the plains." 

In 1823 .John Brant, son of the chief, being in Engliind, opened a correspondence with 
Campbell on the subject of the injustice done to his father in the poem. Partial justice 
was accorded in the next edition of "Gertrude of Wyoming." The poet, after noting 
in a note the |)roufs of error which had been furnished him. said : " The name of Brant, 
therefore, remains in my poem a pure and declared character of fiction." He did not 
alter the poem, however, and so it remains. 



294 



Till-: KMI'IKK 



•■r.vri;. 



I);irkiiess jnit an I'liil tn tliu conflict, Imt increased tlie liorrors of the 
scene. Pri^^one^s -were toi'tured anil murdered. Sixteen of them were 
arranged around a low rock, and while held hy strong men were iniarly 
all murdered hy a tonudiawk and chih nseil alternately hy a half-l)lood 
AVfinian called ()uecn Esther. Two of them threw olT the liarharians who 
held tiieni and escaped to the mountains. 

On the following morning Forty Fort was surrendered. Colonel .lohn 
Ihitlur promised the imnates protection of their persons and projierty, 
and they went hack to their homes ; but so soon as the Tory leader left 
the valley the Indians wiio lingered spread over the plain, and with 
torch, tomahawk, and scalpingdiuifesoon made it an absolute desolation. 

Scarcely a dwelling or an 
outbuilding was left uncon- 
sunied. Not a field of grain 
was left standing ; not a 
life was spared which the 
barbarians could leach. Tiie 
inliaiiitaiits who had not lied 
(hiring the ])revious night 
were slaughtered or nar- 
1 owly escaped. Those who 
departed nuide their May 
toward Connecticut. Many 
^~ jierished in the great swamp 
on Pocono Mountains, ever 
since known as " The 
Shades of Death." 

The details of the deso- 
lation of the beautiful Wy- 
oming "N'alley and of the 
horrors of the ilight of the survivors of the nuissacre form one of the 
darkest chapters in human history. Tiie Ih'itish secretary for the colonies 
(Lord George Germaine) praised the liarharians for their i)rowess and 
humanity, and resolved to direct a succession of similar raids upon the 
frontiers, and to devastate the older American settlements. " After- 
ward among the extraordinaries of the army," said a bishop in the House 
of Lords, " was an order for scalping-knives." 

Very important events outside of the State of New York occurred 
during the year 1778. In general interest tlie most important was the 
arrival, at the beginning of ^lay, of the cheering news that a treaty of 
alliance between France and the Fuited States had been signed at Paris 




INniAX WAI! nil'I.KMKNTS. 



THE BRITISH FORCES LEAVE PEXXSYLVAXIA. 295 

on Fehniarv tltli. Tlie gl;ul tidings greatly inspiritud the Americans. 
Almost sinmltaneously appeared a gleam of liope emanating from the 
Ilritisli tiirone and Parliament. The general failure of the campaign of 
1777, ending in the capture of Burgoyne's army, made the English 
people and a powerful minnrity in Parliament clamorous for peace. 
Commissioneis were sent to America to attempt a settlement of the dis- 
pute. They ^vere authorized to treat with Congress as a competent 
Itody ; hut the conciliatory measures they were empowered to agree to 
did not include a proposition for the independence of the United States. 
Their mission w:is therefore a failure. 

The English ministry, regarding the alliance with France as equivalent 
to a declaration of war on the part of that countrj', felt much anxietj^ 
for the safety of their army at Philadelphia and their navy on the Dela- 
ware River, especially when informed that the French were fitting out a 
fleet for American waters. Orders were sent to Howe to evacuate Phila- 
delphia, and to his brother (the admiral) to leave the Delaware and pro- 
ceed to New York. The land and naval forces were ordered to concen- 
trate there. The French (iovernment sent twelve ships of the line and 
four frigates, under the C^ount d'Estaing, to blockade the British fleet on 
the Delaware. The latter had escaped to sea a few days before the 
arrival of D'Estaing at the mouth of that river, and found safety on the 
waters of Amboy or Paritan Buy. into which the heavy French vessels 
could not enter. 

Creneral Sir Henry Clinton had succeeded General Sir "William Tlowe 
in conmiand of the army at Philadelphia when the order came for the 
evacuation of that city. He instantly obeyed the order, and on June 
IStli (177S) passed the Delaware with eleven thousand troops, and 
attempted a flight across New Jersey to New York by way of New 
Brunswick and Amboy. Ilis design was frustrated by Washington, 
who left Valley Forge with a renovated army stronger in numbers than 
that of his foe, crossed the Delaware, and compelled Clinton to turn his 
face toward Sandy Hook. 

Washington pushed on vigorously in juirsuit of the fugitive army. 
He overtook the British near Monmouth Court-House, and there a 
sanguinary battle was fought on Sunday, June 2Stli — an exceedingly hot 
day. Darkness ended the conflict without any decisive result. The 
Americans slept on their arms, determined to renew the struggle the 
next morning ; but Clinton stole away silently in the darkness at mid- 
m'ght nnoliserved by the wearied Americans, reached Sandy Hook in 
safety, antl proceeded to New York by water. Washington did not 
pursue. He marched to the Hmlson River, crossed into AVestchester 



296 THE KMI'IHK STATE. 

County, remained there until the autiinin, and then recrossed into New 
Jersey, and made liis winter <juarters at MicUHehrook, on tlie Raritan. 
Clinton lost about six hundred men by desertion during his tiiglit across 
New Jersey. 

At this time the British were in possession of Rhode Island. At the 
request of Washington, D'Estaing proceeded to Newport to assist Gen- 
erals Sullivan and Lafayette in driving them from the island. On the 
arrival of the fleet the Americans crossed over from the main to Rhode 
Island and pressed on toward tlie British camp. At that moment Howe, 
with a strongly re-enforced fleet, appeared. D'Estaing went out to meet 
him. A terrible storm dispersed and shattered both fleets. The French 
vessels hastened to Boston for repairs, leaving the Americans, who liad 
been promised four thousand troops from the Gallic ships, in a perilous 
situation. They fell back to the northern end of the island pursued by 
the British. A severe battle was fought upon Quaker Hill (August 
2!tth), in which the Americans were victorious. The next morning the 
latter withdrew to the main, leaving the British still in possession of Rhode 
Island ; but they were in the real position of prisoners. Such also was 
their position at Now York until D'Estaing sailed for the West Indies 
late in the autumn, when Sir Henry Clinton sent two thousand troops, 
under Colonel Campbell, to invade Georgia, then tlie weakest member of 
the Confederacy. After some resistance the British took possession of 
Savannah, and it became the headquarters of the British army in the 
South for some time. 



BRITISH EXPEDITIOX UP THE HUDSON. 297 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Sir IIenet Clinton * was in comiiiiiiid of a force of over sixteen 
thousand men in the spring of 1779, yet his instructions confined him to 
a predatory warfare upon tlie coasts. In May a squadron commanded 
by Sir George Collier conveyed transports and galleys bearing twenty- 
five liundred troops, under General Matthews, to the waters in South- 
eastern Virginia. The connnanders sent out parties against ^Norfolk antl 
other places on the Elizabeth River and tlie neigliborhood, to seize or 
destroy an immense quantity of naval and military stores and other prop- 
erty gathered there. That whole region was ravaged and made a scene 
of plunder and conflagration. Soon afterward these forces appeared at 
New York to join Sir Henry Clinton in an expedition up the Hudson 
River. 

After the capture of Forts Clinton and Montgomery in the Highlands, 
West Point and Constitution Island opposite were strengthened by forti- 
fications, and forts were erected upon Stony Point and Verplanck's 
Point opposite, a few miles Iielow the Highlands. Fort Fayette, upon 
^'erplanck's Point, was completed in the early summer of 1770, but that 
on Stony Point was then unfinished. These forts were to serve the 
double purpose of protecting the King's Ferry, on the Hudson, the most 
direct and convenient connuunication between the Eastern and Middle 
States, and of disputing the passage of British vessels through the High- 
lands. 

At the close of May, Collier's vessels, seventy in number, great and 
small (and one hundred and fifty flat-boats), bore Sir Henry Clinton and 
a land force, under General Vaughan, up the Hudson, to attempt the 
capture of the two posts last mentioned. The troops were landed l)efore 
dawn on May 31st, a part of them, under Vaughan, a few miles below 
Verplanck's Point, and the remainder, led by the baronet, a little below 
Stony Point. The handful of men at the latter place set fire to the 

* Sir Henry Clinton was a son of Admiral Sir George Clinton, colonial Governor of 
Kew York, and born in 1738. He died in 1795. He entered the army when quite 
young, and rose to the rank of major-general iii 17To, when he was sent to America with 
Howe and Burgoyne. He was active during the war with the American colonies until 
1783, when he returned to England. He had succeeded Sir William Howe as com- 
mander-in-chief of the British forces in America in 1778. 



298 'llli; KMIMKi: STATK. 

l)lock-]ionse tlicre, ahamloiiod tlio iinfinislicd fort, and fled to tlie moiin- 
taiiii*. lloavy artillery was dragj^ed to the crest of the rocky proinoiitory 
and turned xi[)oii Fort Fayette, while A^aughaii's troops and the vessels 
joined in an attack upon that post. The little garrison of seventy ineii 
v.-ere compelled to surrender. Sir Henry garrisoned both posts, and pro- 
ceeded to tinish, arm, and man the fort at Stony Point. 

Meanwhile Washington, lielieving Sir Jlenrv"s object to be the seizure 
of the Highland forts, had advanced his army toward the river moun- 
tains, and made his headipiarters at Xew Windsor, above the Highlands. 
This movement checked Sir Henry's ilesigns. He .soon returned to 
New York, and sent Collier's vessels on a marauding cxpt'dition to the 
shores of Connecticut. They bore about twenty-tivc hundred British 
and Hessian (as the Germans were called) marauders, commanded by ex- 
Governor Tryon, who seemed to find the errand congenial to his nature 
He made the Hessians his incendiaries and executors of his most cruel 
work. 

The expedition left New York on the night of July 3d (1779), and in 
the space of a week laid waste and carried away a vast amount of private 
projierty, and cruelly abused the inhabitants. They plundered New 
Haven on the Tjth ; laid East Haven in ashes on the Otli ; destroyed 
Fairfield by fire on the Sth, and plundered and burned Norwalk on tiie 
12th. The soldiers were given free license to abuse and oppress the 
defenceless inhabitants. While Norwalk was in llames Tryon sat in a 
rocking-chair upon a hill in the neiglilioi'hooil, a delighted sjiectator of 
the ruin wrought by his orders. In allusion to this and kindred expedi- 
tions Trumbull, in bis •• ]\[cl-'ingal," makes Malcolm say : 

" Behold ! lik(; wliclp of Britisli lion, 
Our waiiiois, Clinton. Vauijlian, iiml Tryon. 
Maioli fortli witli patriotic joy 
To ravish, ])luu(lcr. and destroy. 
Great srcnerals, foremost in their nation. 
The journeymen of Desolation, 
Like Samson's fo,\es, each assails. 
Let loose with firebrands in their tails. 
And spread destruction more forlorn 
Than they among Philistines" corn." 

The British finished, armed, and garrisoned the fort on Stony T'oiiit 
early in July. The Americans resolved to capture it. The impetuous 
General Wayne * was then in command of some infantry in the High- 



* Anthony Wayne was Uorn in Chester County, Penn., .Tainiary 1st, 174.'); (lie<l .-it 
Pre.sque Isle (now Firie). Penn., December l.-|lli, 17!)l>. His father was comniander of a 



THE AMERICANS CAPTUHE h^ToXY POINT. 



299 



liiiids. He proposed to surprise the garrison and take tlie fort hv storm. 
•• Can jou do it V asked Washington. 

" I'll storm hell if you'll plan it," said Wayne. 

"Washington gave him permission to mulertake Stony Point lirst. 
Leading a few hnndred men seeretiy throngh a mountain pass, Wayne 
was within lialf a mile of the rocky 
promontory on the evening of July 
15th. They stealthily approached 
tlie only accessible way to the fort, 
across a marshy strait by a narrow 
causeway in the rear. They reached 
that point at midnight. After pass- 
ing the causeway the little force was 
divided into two columns to make 
the attack at different points. With 
loaded muskets and fixed bayonets 
they marched \\p to the attack, pre- 
ceded b}' a " forlorn hope" of picked 
men to make openings in an ahatin 
at designated points of assault. 

Tlie assailants had nearly reached 
the abatis before they were discov- 
ered. The alarmed sentinels fired 
their nniskets, when the startled 

garrison flew to arms. The stillness of that hot sunnner night was sud- 
denly broken hx the rattle of musketry and the roar of camions from the 
ramparts. In tiie face of a terrible tempest of bullets and grape-shot the 
assailants forced their way into the fort at the point of the bayonet. 
Wayne, who led one of the divisions in person, had beeu brought to his 
knees Ijv a stunning blow from a musket-ball that grazed his head. 




f.ENERAT. ANTHONY WAYXE. 



.squadron of dragoons under William III. of England at the battle of the Boyne. After 
liis marriage Anthon_v became a farmer and a surveyor. He was a member of the Penn- 
sylvania Legislature in 1774-75 ; became a colonel in the Continental army in 1776 ; went 
with his regiment to Canada in that year : was wounded in battle, and early in 1777 was 
commissioned a brigadier. He was in the battle of Braiulpvine, September 11th, 1776. 
and a few nights afterward his camp, near the Paoli Tavern, on the road between Phila- 
delphia and Lancaster, was assailed by a British force, and many of his men were slain. 
He wa.s in the battles of Germantown and Monmouth, and lie captured Stony Point, on 
the Hudson, in July, 1779. Warae did admirable sersice in the Southern States during 
the remainder of the war. In 1793 he became general-in-chief of the armies of the United 
States. He brought the Indians in tlie North-west to peaceful relations, and was stationed 
at Presque I.sle at the time of his death. Brave almost to rashness, he received the title 
nf '■ 3Iad .Vnthonv." 



300 



Tin; KMl'IKK STATE. 



Believing himself mortally wounded, he exclaimed : " March on I 
Carry me into the fort, for 1 will die at the head of my column." lie 
soon recovered, and at two o'clock in the morning he wrote to Wash- 
ington : 

" The fort and garrison, with General Johnston, are ours. Our 
officers and men behaved like men determined to be free." Wayne also 
wrote in a subsequent despatcli : " The humanity of our brave soldiers, 



=^^ 4^^^ ^^'T^r^ 



'^a.^T- 




^^ 









^^ ' ^y-^T^ 



FACSIMII.K OP ^VAY^"K S DESPATCtl. 

who scorned to take the lives of a vancjuishud foe when calling for 
mercy, reflects the higliest honor on them, and accounts for the few of 
the enemy killed on the occasion." 

Johnston, the commander of the fort, and five hundred and forty- 
three men were made prisoners. He had si.xty-three killed. The 
Americans lost one hundred men killed and wounded. The British 
ship))ing lying in the river near by slipped their cables and moved down 
the stream. The Americans attempted to capture Fort Fayette, l)Ut 



WAH WITH THE IXDIAXS JX THE INTERIOR. 301 

failed. Unable to hold and garrison the fort in Stony Point, they 
removed the heavy ordnaiice and stores to "West Point and abandoned 
the post. The British repossessed it a few days afterward. 

The terrible atrocities of bands of the Six Nations in 1778 aronnd the 
head-waters of the Susquehanna and their vioinity and in the valley of 
Wyoming impelled the Americans to the exercise of vengeance against 
them in the most eifeetual manner. All of these nations, excepting the 
Oneidas and Tuscaroras, had been won over to tlie side of the crown by 
British emissaries amoiig them, employed by the Johnson family, and 
the task of chastising them would be hard and perilous. A question of 
life or death of the frontier settlements was involved, and the people did 
not hesitate. They cheerfully joined in an expedition to penetrate the 
heart of the Iroquois country, for the purpose of spreading desolation with 
fire and sword, and conquering and securing peace by the force of terror. 

In the spring of 1779 some preliminary movements to this end were 
undertaken. The first was against the Onondagas. Between five and 
six hundred troops, led by Colonels Goose Van Schaick and Marinus 
Willett, left Fort Schuyler on April 19th, and penetrated the heart of 
the Onondaga nation south of (present) Syracuse. They took the bar- 
barians by surprise, destroyed three of their villages, burned tlieir pro- 
visions, and slaughtered their live-stock. It was an unfortunate expedi- 
tion, for it exasperated the Indians and did not spread terror among 
them, as was anticipated. Three hundred Onondaga braves were imme- 
diately sent out iipon the war-path charged with the vengeance of the 
nation. They spread terror and desolation far and near in conjunction 
with other members of the Confederacy. They pushed southward to 
the waters of the Delaware and the borders of Ulster County. 

On the night of July 19th, Brant, with sixty Mohawks and a band of 
Tories disguised as Indians, fell upon the settlement of Minisink, on the 
Neversink Kiver, in the M'estern part of Orange County, at the foot of 
the Shawangmik Mountains. They destroyed the growing crops, burned 
the church and ten houses, mills, and barns in the neighborhood, and 
retired with considerable plunder without attempting further violence. 

When Colonel Tusten, at Goshen, heard of this raid he hastened with 
one hundred and fifty men (many of them volunteers) to the scene of 
desolation. They held a council, when it was concluded to pursue the 
marauders. Colonel llathorn had arrived with a few recruits, and took 
command of the pursuing party. They overtook the niain body of them 
near the mouth of Lackawaxen Creek (July 22d), when Brant by a quick 
movement threw his force in Ilathorn's rear, placing the republicans in 
an ambush. More than fifty men were separated from the main body, 



30:2 



Tin: KMI'lIiF. STATK. 



leaviiii;- tlie reiuiiiiuler to sustain the shock ot' a furious attack. A severe 
ciniflicr I'lisueil, lasting fnun eleven o'clock in the inorniui^ until sunset. 
The repiililicans M-ere beaten, and were niunlered after they were made 

prisDueis. ( )nly thirty of 
the nearly three hundre<l 
pursuers survived to tell 
the sad story of the luassa- 
cre. Fort\'-three years af- 
terward the citizens of 
Orange Count}' caused the 
hones of the nlain tu Ix; 
gathered and Iniried near 
the centre of the Green in 
the village of fioshen, and 
over them a neat white 
marhle monument was 
erected, bearing the names 
of the slain. A more elegant 
monnnunit commemorative 
of the event was erected by 
order of the supervisors of 
Orange County in 1S62. It 
was the gift of the late Dr. 
M. II. Cash. 

A more powerful instru- 
ment for the chastisement of the offending Iroquois M'as formed in the 
summer of 1771'. (iuneraMVashington f)laced General John Sullivan'" 




MOXrjreXT AT GOSHEN. 



* Jolin Sullivan was born at Berwick. Me., February 17th, 1740 ; died at Dnrliani. 
X. II., .laimary 23d, 1795. He wa-^ a lawyer, a member of the first Continental Conjcre.'is. 
and in Deeember, 1774, with John Laugilon, led a patriot force again.st Fort AN'illiain and 
Mary, at Portsmouth, K. H., and took from it one hundred barrels of gunpowder, fifteen 
cannons, many small-arms and stores. In June, 177.'), Sullivan was appointed one of the 
four hrisiadier-jrenerals of the Continental army ; commanded a portion of the troops that 
be.sieged Boston, .mil after tlie evacuation, in the spring of 177(), he went with troops to 
re-enforee the patriot army in Cinada. On the death of General Tlionias there he took 
the eoniTnanil of tlie army ; skilfully elTeeted a retreat from that pidvin<e : was made 
prisoner in the battle on Long Island in August ; was exchanged, .md joined Washington 
in Westchester County ; did good service in the battles at Trenton and I'rineelon. at 
Hiandywine and Gerimmtown. .and in Rhode Island. After his expedition against tin' 
Indians in the State of New York he left the army on account of .shattered health, and 
took a seat in Congress late in 1780. He wjis attorney-general of New Hampshire from 
1783 to 1786. and president of that commonwealth from 1786 to 1789. From the latter 
date until his death he was I'liited States .Judge of New Hampshire. 



Sl'LLIVAN'S nES()LATING CAMPAIGN. 



303 



ill command of a force of Continental soldiers gatliered in the Wyoming 
Valley, where the horrible massacre occurred the previons year. lie was 
instructed to penetrate the heart of the Iroqnois country and desolate it. 

Sullivan left the valley with throe thoiisand men at tlie close of July, 
marched np tiie Susquehanna River, and arrived at Tioga Point on 
Augnst 22d. Tiiere he was joined liy General James Clinton with 
about sixteen Imndred men, who came down from Canajoharie, on 
the ^Mohawic Kivcr. liy way of Otsego Lake, debarking on the site 
of Cooperstown. The combined 
forces nimd)ered al)out five thou- 
sand, consisting of tlie brigades of 
Generals f 'baton, Hand, Maxwell, 
and Poor, with Proctor's artille- 
rv and a corps of riflemen. So 
Tardily had the expedition moved 
that the P>ritish authorities liad 
time to send regulars and Tories 
from Canada and Xiagara to assist 
the Indians in opposing it. 

Marching up the eastern bank 
of the Chemung River on the 
morning of Augnst 2'.ttli. the 
invaders destroyed the growing 
crops, and at length encountered 
a force of regulars, Tories, and 
Indians, strongly fortified, not far 

from the site of (present) Elmira. The Indians were commanded 
by Brant, and the remainder by Sir John Johnson,* the Butlers, and 
Captain ilcDonald. A fierce engagement ensued, and it was long 
doubtful which party would win the laurels of victory. It was finally 
decided for Sullivan when Proctor's artillery was brought into play and 
dispersed the terrified liarbarians. The invading army rested on the 
battle-ground that niglit, and the ne.xt morning pushed on in pursuit of 
the fugitives. 

That pursuit was quick and distressing. The army after a perilous 




^ 



JOHN SULLIVAN. 



* Sir .Toliii .Johnson, son of Sir AVilliam, was born in 174:2. His motlu'r wa.s a German 
girl. He was u stanch and active; loyalist ; fled lo Canada with several hundred 
followers ; in connection with the Indians desolated the Mohawk Valley and its neighbor- 
hood, and was defeated by General Van Rensselaer in 17S0. He went to England after 
the war, but .soon returned to Canada, where he remained in tliu capacity of Super 
intendent of Indian Affairs until jiis drath in 1880. 



304 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

marcli encamped before Catharine's Town, near the head of Seneca Lake, 
on the morning of Se])teml)er 2(1, and destroyed the vilhige, tlie siir- 
roundinir crops of corn, und the orcluirds. Tiiu tivinir camijaiifn, charired 
with tiie forces of destruction, hml now fairly begun. " The Indians 
shall see,"' said Sullivan, " that there is malice enough in our hearts to 
destroy everything that contributes to their support." Jlis men, burn- 
ing with indignation, eagerly sought to avenge the cruelties of the bar- 
barians and Tories who had made the region of the ^lohawk a " dark 
and bloody ground." The Indians fled before them like frightened 
deer to cover, and the wail of desolation M-as heard throughout their 
pleasant land, from the Sus(juehanna to the Genesee. 

On September 14th General Sullivan and his army encamped before 
Genesee, the capital of the Senecas, in the beautifid Genesee Valley — 
the paradise of the Six Nations. There everything indicated the pres- 
ence of civilization. There was not a M-ildcrness feature in the scene. 
The rich intervales presented the appearance of cultivation for many 
generations, and the farms, gardens, and orchards bespoke a degree of 
comfort and refinement that Avonld be creditable to any civilized com- 
munity. But a terrible doom hung over the smiling country. The 
Genesee " Castle" was destroyed and the cajjital was laid in iishes. 
" The town," wrote Sullivan, " contained one hundred and twenty-eigiit 
houses, mostly large and ver^' elegant. It was beautifully situated, 
almost encircled with a clear flat extending a number of miles, over 
which extensive fields of corn were waving, together with every kind of 
vegetable that could be conceived." 

The work of destruction now spread over the whole valley and tlie 
surrounding country. Fort}' Indian villages were burned ; one hundred 
and sixty thousand bushels of corn in the fields and in granaries were 
destroj'ed ; a vast number of the finest fruit-trees, the jjroduct of yeare 
of tardy growth, were cut down ; inindreds of gardens were desolated ; 
the inhabitants were driven into the forests to starve, and were hunted 
like wild beasts ; their altars were overturned ; their graves were 
trampled upon l)y strangers, and a beautiful, well-watered country, 
teeming with a ])ros[)erous jieo]ile and just rising to the level with the 
])roductive regions of civilization, was desolated and thrown ])ack a cen- 
tury within the space of a fortnight. 

This chastisement awed the barliarians for the moment, but it did not 
crush them. In the reaction tliey had greater strength. It kindled the 
fires of deep hatred, which spread like a conflagration far among the 
tribes upon the borders of the great lakes and in the valley of the Ohio. 

After Sullivan's campaign very few militar\' operations occurred at 



SIR JOHN JOHNSON at home. 305 

the Kortli during the remainder of tlie year. Lafayette had been ia 
France during the sunnner, and had induced the French Government to 
promise to send a more powerful fleet and several thousand troops to aid 
the Americans. Whispers of this intention readied the ears of tlie 
British Cabinet, when the evacuation of Kliodo Island and the concentra- 
tion of British troops at New Yorlc were ordered. 

A land force under General Lincoln and troops sent ashore from the 
French fleet of D'Estaing made an attack upon Savannah, Ga., in Sep- 
tember, and carried on a siege until the second week in October, wdien 
it was abandoned in consequence of the sudden withdrawal of the French 
troops. Lincoln was compelled to cross the Savannah Kiver into South 
Carolina and retreat to Charleston. Toward that city Sir Henry Clinton 
sailed from Now York at the close of the year with five thousand troops, 
to open a vigorous campaign in the Carolinas. 

Li September the intrepid John Paul Jones, in command of the 
frigate BonJiomme Richard, fitted out in a French port, gained a deci- 
sive victory in one battle over two British frigates, the Serap'ts and the 
Countess of Scarborough. They fought in the waters of the North Sea, 
off the north-eastern coast of England. 

Sir John Johnson took advantage of the hot indignation of the 
Iroquois, kindled by Sullivan's chastisement, to make a raid into the 
IMohawk Valley with five hundred Tories and Indians, in May, 17S0. 
lie ^lenetrated the country from Crown Point to the Sacandaga River, 
and on Sunday night, May 17th, he arrived at Johnstown. Between 
midnight and dawn his force, divided, began to devastate that region, 
Imrning every house excepting those which !)elonged to Tories. In the 
course of this raid many persons were slain and homes desolated. Such 
wild terror was spread all over that region that Sir John was enalned to 
accomplish the chief object of his visit — naniel}', the recovery of his 
family plate, wliich was buried near Johnson Hall when he fled to Canada 
in ITTfi. lie recovered twenty of his negro slaves, one of whom was 
the man wdio buried the treasure. It filled two barrels, and when it was 
exhumed it was carried away in the knapsacks of forty soldiers. With this 
property, his slaves, some prisoners, and much booty, Sir John was allowed 
by the panic-stricken people to leave for Canada without molestation. 

On hearing of this invasion, Governor Clinton, then at Poughkeepsie, 
ordered a pursuit. lie led a division in person to Ticonderoga, where 
he was joined by some militia from Vermont. Eight hundred militia, 
under Colonel Van Schaick, pursued the fugitives from Johnstown ; but 
Sir John had such a start that he escaped. He had wisely avoided the 
lakes on his retreat, and passed through the interior of the country. 



30G 



Till-: K.Ml'IliK ST ATI-: 



In August the Canajoliuric and Fort Plain - settlements were deso- 
lated by Brant and five hundred Indians and Tories. Fifty-three 
dwellings and many barns were l)urned ; sixteen inhabitants were killed ; 
between fifty and sixty persons, chiefly women and children, were made 
captive ; implements of husbandry were destroyed, and over three 
hundred cattle and horses were driven away. 

In the autumn of 17S(» an extensive expedition against the settlements 
in Tryon County was planned. The Indians were thirsting for revenge 
for the wrongs and misery inflicted >ipon them by Sullivan. The leadens 

in the expedition were Sir John Johnson, 
Joseph Brant, and a famous half-breed 
Seneca chief named Corn Planter. The 
Indians rendezvoused at Tioga Point, 
and at I'nadilla they formed a junction 
with Sir John and his forces — regulars, 
Tories, and Indians — who came from 
Niagara and Canada by way of Oswego, 
bringing M'ith them some light artillery. 
Their plan was to desolate the Schoharie 
Valley to the Mohawk, and then devastate 
that beautiful and bountiful region down 
to Scheiicctaily. 

The invaders reached the Schoharie 
Valley at the middle of October. The 
inhaiiitauts were taken by sur])rise. Their 
barns Nvere filled with the products of a bountiful harvest, and stacks of 
hay and grain were abundant. The invaders besieged the forts, but 
failed to capture them. Believing them to be stronger than he had 
supposed, and fearing re-enforcements were coming, Sir John ordered 
his forces to swcc[) the valley with the besom of destruction to the 
^lohawk. Everywhere they applied the torch. Every house, barn, and 
stack belonging to a Whig was laid in ashes. Fully one hundred thousand 
bushels of grain were destroyed during that one day's march. So soon 
as the invaders had departed the exasperated Whigs burned the spared 




FOUT I'LAIK BLOCK-lIDLtiK. 



* After tlic desolation of tlie ."Moliinvk and Schoharie valleys in 1778, Fort Plain was 
erected near the mouth of the Os(niaj;a Creek, and became an important fortress. It 
stood upon a hill at the (present) villajre of Fort Plain. It was an irrejrulartiuadransrle in 
form, with earth and lojjr bastions. It finally had a block-house (built in 1780) three 
stories in heijiht pierced for musketry, the lower story for cannon. It was built of hewn 
logs. Each .story projected about five feet beyond tlic one below it. The powder maga- 
zine was under it. 



OPERA rioXS IX THE MOHAWK VALLEY. 



307 



houses ami other ju-dpcrty of the Tories. Tlie Schoharie Valley was 
made a smoking ruin. Several persons were slain during the r:iid. Sir 
John remained two da^'s at Fort Hunter, at the mouth of tlio Seliohario 
Creek, and destroyed everything belonging to the Whigs in the neighhor- 
Iiood ; and on October 18tli he began a 
desti'uctivc march up the ]\Iohawk Valley. 
He l)urned C'aughnawaga and every dwell- 
ing on both sides of the river as far as 
Fort I'lain. On the morning of the l!>th 
he sent a detachment to attack a small 
stockade called Fort Paris, in Stone Ara- 
bia, about three miles north of the river. 

When Governor Clinton (then at 
.Vlbany) heard of the invasion of the 
Sehoiiarie A'allcy he hastened with a 
strong body of militia, accompanied by 
General liobert van Rensselaer, to the 
aid of the people of the smitten region. 
They arrived at Caughnawaga while it was 
in flames. There Clinton gave the chief 
command of the troops to Van Rensselaer. 
The latter, apprised of the intended at- 
tack upon Fort Paris, ordered its com- 
mander. Colonel P)rown (distinguished 
in former campaigns), to march out and 

meet the invaders. lie did so about a mile from (present) Palatine 
Piridge, was overpowered by superior numbers, and with forty of hLs 
soldiers was slain. The remainder of his troops Hed to Fort Plain.* 




.■^>^- 



COI.ONEI. BUOWN S MONl MENT. 



* Colonel John Brown was a citizen of Massachusetts, a graduate of Yale College, and 
a lawyer by profession. lie aeeonipauied the expedition to Canada in 1776, and was 
specially distinguished in the capture of Fort Chanibly. lie hung on the rear of 
Burgoyne's army in 1777, destroying his stores, and so etliciently assisting in the work of 
his capture. Xo mention was made of these services in official reports, as Arnohl, who 
had at that time the ear of Gates, prejudiced that officer against him. Colonel Brown 
and his .sl-iin companions were buried in the grounds adjoining the church in Stone 
Arabia, and fifty-six years afterward (1836), on the anniversary of the battle, a small 
monument erected on the spot by Mr. Henry Brown, a son of Colonel Brown, of Berk- 
shire, Mass., was dedicated. There was a large concourse of citizens assembled in the 
church on the occasion, when an address was pronounced by Mr. Gerrit L. Roof, then a 
young lawyer of CiUiajoharie, and afterward a clergyman. The above engraving is from 
a drawing made for the late Dr. Franklin B. Hough, who wrote an interesting and valu- 
able narrative of " The Northern Invasion," of which only eighty copies were printed by 
the ■■ Hradtonl Club," of Xew York. 



308 THE EMPIKK STATE. 

Sir John desolated Stone Aral)ia. He halted to rest at a place called 
" Kloek's Field.'' General Van Rensselaer was in pnrsnit of liiin with 
fifteen hnndred men, inclnding a Ijody of Onei<las, led \>y Chief Loui.s, 
whom Congress had commissioned a colonel. Nan Rensselaer's move- 
ments were so tardy that the invaders were rested liefore he was ready 
to attack them. Toward evening a general Ijattle hegan, wlien a furious 
charge made by the patriots caused the invaders to give way and lly. It 
was now twilight, and Van Rensselaer Avould not allow his impatient 
troops to pursue nntil tlie ne.\t morning, when the fugitives were 
followed by the whole body of the victors as far as the German Flats, 
where tliey halted. 

Van Rensselaer ordered tlic Oneidas and Captain Mt-lvcan, witli some 
volunteei-s, to press on in advance, promising to follow immediately in 
their support. Tiiey had nearly overtaken the fugitives when the pur- 
suers learned tliat Van Rensselaer had abandoned the pursuit. Tliey 
retraced their steps as an act of safety, and Sir Jolm and his invading 
party, who had inflicted such unutterable miseries upon tlie inhabitants 
of Tryon County, wore allowed to escape to Canada l)y way of Oswego. 

^Feanwhile JFajor Carloton of tiie Britisli army, witii one tlionsand 
regulars, Tories, and Indians, went U]i Lake Cliamplain, captured and 
burned Fort Anne, between tlie head of the lake and tiie Hudson, and 
sent forward marauding and incendiary parties toward Fort Edward. 
At tlie same time Carleton himself pushed on to tlie head of Lake 
George, and captured and destroyed Fort George there. A part of the 
expedition liad landed at Crown Point and made its way through the 
forest to attack Schenectady, but proceeded no farther than the settle- 
ment at Ballston, which they desolated. At about the same time 
another expedition sent out from Canada fell upon the upper settlements 
of the Connecticut Valley. Tiiese expeditions avoided doing injury to 
the inhabitants on the New Hampshire Grants (Vermont), because the 
leaders of those people were then corpietting with tlie Rritisli antliorities 
in Canada. For what purpose will appear hereafter. 

When Sir Henry Clinton sailed for tlie South at the close of 1779 he 
left the German General Knyphausen in command at New York. The 
fleet of Admiral Arbutlinot, carrying two tiiousand marines, bore Clinton's 
troops. They went first to the coast of Georgia, but soon proceeded to 
Charleston Harbor and prepared to besiege that city, where General 
Lincoln was in command of a considerable body of troops. The city, 
the army, citizens, four hundred cannons, and a large quantity of stores 
■were surrendered on May 12th. Tiie Baron de Kalb had been sent with 
troops to assist Lincoln, but did not arrive in time. 



THE BRITISH IX SOUTH CAKOLINA. 309' 

Tlie fall of Charleston paralyzed the people of South Carolina. Three 
British detachments proceeded to take possession of the State. Lord 
Cornwallis was appointed to the chief command in that region. Clinton 
proclaimed a general truce, and pardon and protection for all who should 
accept it. The silence of fear overspread the country for a while. Mis- 
taking this lull in the storm of resistance for ahsolute submission and 
permanent tranquillity, Clinton, with a large part of his army, sailed in 
the Heet of Arhuthnot for New York early in June. 

Cornwallis unwisely began a reign of terror to overawe the panic- 
stricken patriots. His course aroused their fiercest indignation, and so 
soon as an army, first under De Kalb and then commanded by Gates, 
approached the borders of their State they flew to arms. Energetic 
partisan leaders like ilarion, Sumter, Pickens, and others now appeared, 
and South Carolina and Upper Georgia became a theatre of active war- 
fare, until Gates was beaten and his army -was dispei"sed in a battle with 
Cornwallis, near Camden. This disaster seemed again to paralyze the 
people, and the State lay prone for a while at the feet of the invader. 

Cornwallis, now confident of his power, proceeded to invade North 
Carolina. It was begmi, but was soon checked by the defeat of a body 
of Tory militia, led I)y IMajor Patrick Ferguson, in a battle on King's 
Mountain (October 7th), l)y the mountaineers of the Carolinas. At the 
same time ^[arion and Sumter were keeping British regulars and Tories 
exceedingly lively in an attitude of defence, until they became thorougidy 
alarmed. The British called Marion the " Swamp Fox" and Sumter the 
" South Carolina Game Cock." 

"\Mule these operations were going on in the South and in the State of 
New York the American people were inspirited by the presence on their 
shores of a large land and naval force sent by France to aid them. They 
arrived at Newport, H. L, on July 10th, 1780. The fleet was com- 
manded by Admiral Ternay. It bore six thousand troops, commanded 
by Lieutenant-General Count de Eochambeau. This event made Sir 
Henry Clinton more circumspect and cautious. He had been trying to 
entice "Washington, after he left his winter quarters at j\[orristown, 
N. J., to fight ; now he changed his course of action, and endeavored to 
gain, by conqilotting with a traitor, what he had failed to do by arms. 



:3in 



THH KMPIHK STATK 



CIIAPTEE XXII. 



Benedict Arnold was in coininaiul of tlie impditant post of "West 
Point, ill tlie Hudson Tliglilands, late in the summer of 1780. He was 

a bravo soldier, and liad fonglit 
nobly for the indupeiidence of liis 
country. Ibit he was never a Inu: 
patriot, or he wonhl never have 
become a fraiior. He lacked vir- 
tue, and became the slave and tjie 
victim of passions iinrestrained by 
conscience. 

Arnold was military governor at 
Philadelphia in thesnminer of 177S. 
He there married a beautiful maiden 
(Miss Shippen), only eighteen years 
of age. He was forty-eight. He 
lived in splendor at an expense far 
be3'on(l his means, became involved 
in debt, and to meet the demands 
of his creditors he engaged in practices which caused him to be charged 
Avith dishonesty and malfeasance in office, lie was tried by a court- 



r 




BENEDICT AUNOI,!).- 



* Bonediit Ainold, a brave SDldicr who liocainc a conspiruous traitor, was born at 
NorwifU, Conn., .January 3(1. 1741 : died in Loudon, .June 14tli. 1804. Apprentici'd to 
an ajiotlu'cary, lie ran away ; enlisted iis a soldier ; deserted ; en^ajred a few years in the 
business of a bookseller and druggist in Kew Haven, and a trader with the AVest Indies. 
After the affair at Lexington he raised a company of volunteers, and accompanied Allen 
in the capture of Ticonderoga. lie performed gallant service in naval warfare on Lake 
Chainiilain the following year. Meanwhile he h.ad made a perilous march through the 
wilderness from the ICennebec River to Quebec ; engaged in the siege of that city ; was 
badly wounded; was chietly instrumental in winning the battles that resulted in the 
surrender of Burgoyne, and was again wounded in these eonlliets. While in command 
as military governor at I'liiladelphia he opened a treasonable correspondence with the 
Ibilish. His allcmpt to betray West Point failed, and he e.seai)ed to the British lines. 
\h- served in the British army in predatory warfare ujion liis countrymen ; went to 
iMigland, where he was despised by all honorable men ; l)eeaine for a while a resident of 
St. .Johns, New Brunswick, where he was hung in effigy. He soon returned to England, 
where he lived in obscurity. One of his sons became a lieutenant-general in the British 
armv. 



THE TREASON OF GENERAL ARNOLD. 311 

martial, and sentenced to be reprimanded liy the comniander-in-eliief of 
the armies. It was done by Washington in the most delicate mniiner. 

Vengeful feelings took possession of the heart and mind of Arnold, 
which led him to make an attempt to betray his country. He made 
treasonable overtures secretly to Sir Henry Clinton, and held treasonable 
correspondence for several months, under assumed names, with Major 
Andre, Clinton's adjutant-general. Before they met face to face Arnold 
pronn'sed to surrender the post of AYest Point and its dependencies (of 
which, on his earnest solicitation, he liad been made commander in 
August) into the hands of the enemy. The possession of West Point 
by the British would secure the control of the Hudson ; cut off 'New 
England from the rest of the States ; facilitate intercourse with Canada, 
and lead to the speedy accomplishment of all that the expeditions of 
Burgoyne and St. Leger were expected to effect. Arnold agreed to 
strike this deadly blow at the liberties of his patriotic countrymen for the 
consideration of a brigadier's commission in the royal army and $50,000 
in gold. 

The time chosen for the consummation of this unholy bargain was late 
in September, 17S0, when Washington would be in Hartford, Conn., 
conferring with the French officers. Arrangements were made for a 
personal interview between Arnold and Andre to conclude a final settle- 
ment of the details. The place selected by Arnold for the interview 
was a lonely spot not far below Haverstraw, on the west side of the 
Hudson, and the time midnight, September 20tli. 

Andre ascended the river on the sloojj-of-war Vulture, and was taken 
ashore in a boat * sent by Arnold, in charge of his friend, Joshua Hett 
Smith, who lived between Haverstraw and Stony Point. The corn- 
plotters met in the dark. Andre's uniform was concealed by a surtout. 
He had been instructed to neither carry nor fetch any papers. The con- 
ference was protracted. Day dawned and it was not ended. Arnold 
persuaded Andre to accompany him to Smith's house to complete the 
arrangements, without informing him that the dwelling was within the 
American lines. Meanwhile the Vulture had been driven down the 
river by cannonading from Teller's Point, on the eastern shore. 

* On tlic morning at first fixed for his execution (Oetober 1st, 1780) Major Anilre made 
a pcn-and-inli sketch representing his conveyance to tlie shore from the Vulture in a 
small boat. There arc two [jcrsoiis in the boat besides the oarsman. This sketch, with 
" J. \., fecit, Oct. 1, 1780," written in a corner, was found on his tabic after his execu- 
tion, on October 2d ; also a pen-and-ink sketch of his own portrait silting at a table. 
His servant delivered tliese sketclies to Colonel C'rosbie. of tln' Twenty-second Hejrimcnt, 
on Iiis return to New York. 



313 THK K.MI'IKi: STATE. 

At Smith's lionso tlic final arraiiiijuiiicnts -were made. Clinton was to 
ascend the river with a i)owert'iii force, when Arnold, after makiiij; a 
show of resistance, should surrender the post, pleading as an excuse the 
weakness of the garrison. 

This wicked scheme perfected, Andn'^ was anxious to return to tlie 
Vulture that night, but Sniitli refused to go so far down the river, and 
it was arranged for tlie adjutant-general to return to New York Ky laud. 
Exchanging his uniform for a suit sup])lied hy Smith, and accompanied 
by that gentleman, he crossed the river at the King's Ferry at twilight, 
bearing the following passport : 

" Permit j\[r. John Anderson [an assumed name] to ])ass the guards 
to the White Plains, or below, if he chooses, he being on public 
business. B. Arnold, M. G. " 

In violation of his instructions, Andre had received from Arnold some 
papers explanatory of the condition of West Point and its dependencies, 
and concealed them in his stockings beneath his feet. lie and iiis 
attendants passed the night near the Croton River. The next morning 
ho journeyed on alone on -horseback, and soon reached the neutral 
gi-ound in W^estchester County. 

Near Tarrytovvn three young militiamen— John Paulding, Isaac van 
Wart, and David AV'illiams — were ])laying cards on the edge of a wood 
when Andre approaclied. Paulding, dre.-^sed in a British troojier's coat, 
stepped into the road ami hailed Iiim. The young man had been a 
prisoner a short time, and had been strip[)ed of his better farmer's coat 
and given the old red one he had on. The traveller, misled by this coat, 
said : 

" Cientlemen, I hope you lielong to our party." 

" Whicii party ?" asked Paulding. 

" The lower part V." 

"We do." 

Thus completely thrown oil his guard, Andre avowed himself to be a 
British officer, when they said : 

" We are Americans." 

Astonished and alarmed. Andre now cxhil)ited ^Vrnold's jiassport. 
The young men shook tiieir heads. lie had avowed liimself a Hritish 
officer. His speech contirmed the truth of that avowal. Their sus- 
])icions that he might be a spy were aroused. They invited him to dis- 
mount, and then pro(!eeded to search him. Pulling oil his boots, the 
tell-tale papers were discovered. 

" ]\[y (rod !" exclaimed Paulding, " he is a spy !" 

The major offered the young men large bribes if they would let him 



TREASONABLE DESIGNS FRUSTRATED. 



313 



pass on. Tlicy refused, and delivered liiiu to Colonel Jameson, then in 
command of a post at North Castle. Jameson sent the papers found in 
Andre's boot by express to Wasliington, who was returning with his 
suite from Hartford. Andre, still maintaining the role of an American, 
begged the colonel to inform his (Andre's) commander at West Point 
that John Anderson, tliough bearing his passport, was detained a pris- 
oner. This Jameson thoughtlessly did, and so Arnold was informed of 
his own peril in time to allow him to escape. 

Arnold's head(piartei"s were at the country-house of Beverly Tli)l)inson, 
opposite West Point. Mrs. Arnold had lately arrived there with her 




THE ROBINSON HOUSE. 



infant son. On the morning of Septemlier 25th Washington, with 
Generals Knox and Lafayette, arrived in the vicinity two days earlier 
than tliey were expected. AVord was sent to Arnold that they would 
breakfast with him. Wasliington and tlie two generals turned aside to 
inspect some redoubts, while Colonel Hamilton and others rode on to tell 
Mrs. Arnold not to detain breakfast for the generals. It was the very day 
(September 2.5tlO that had lieen fixed for Clinton to ascend the river and 
receive the surrender of West Point. Washington's early return frus- 
trated the treasonable designs. 

While Arnold and his guests were at breakfast a courier arrived with 
Jameson's letter, which revealed to Arnold the terrible fact that Andre 



314 THK r.MPIRK STATIC. 

was a prisoner ; that all was known — that all was lost. With marvellous 
self-possession the traitor excused himself to his guests, retired, ordered a 
horse, and then going to ^Mrs. Arnold's room, sent for her. In a few 
words he told her of his ])eril. 

" I must tlv instantly,"' he said. " ^[y life depends upon my reaeh- 
ing the ISritisli lines without detection." 

lie then returned to the breakfast-room, and again excusing himself 
with the plea that he must hasten to West Point to prepare for the 
reception of Washington, he leaped into the saddle on his horse at the 
door and dashed down a path to the river, where his six-oared harge was 
moored. Quitting his horse, he hurried into his boat, with his pistols in 
his hands, and ordered the oarsmen to pull to the middle of the stream 
ajid then to row with speed to Teller's (now Croton) Point, saying he 
nnist hasten and return to meet General AVashington. Near that point, 
sitting in the bow of his barge, Arnold raised a white handkerchief, and 
ordered his men to row to the Vulture, lying within sight. They did 
so, and the traitor, reaching her deck, was safe from pursuit. The 
barge was retained and the crew were sent on shore. 

Washington took a late i)rcakfast at Arnold's (piarters, and then 
crossed over to West Point, expecting to meet the general there. He 
had not been there for two days I Still unsuspicious, the commander- 
in-chief did not return until about noon. lie was met by Colonel 
Hamilton, who put into his hands evidences of Arnold's treason. Orders 
had already been issued to attemjit to intercept the flight of the guilty 
fugitive. It was too late. 

Arnold had left his wife lying in a swoon. She had not been dis- 
covered until some time after her husljand's departure. Recovering 
consciousness, she became frenzied, and for a long time refused to be 
comforted. Washington went to her room, and succeeded in soothing 
her. He assured hei- of the personal safety of her husband, of his own 
londer regard for her, and also of the personal safety of herself and 
(.•hild. lie comprehended the gravity of tiie situation, hut seemed undis- 
turbed. To General Knox he said sadly : " Arnold is a traitor ; who 
can we trust now '."' 

Andre was conveyed first to West Point, and thence to Tajipan, on 
the west side of tlie Hudson, then the headquarters of the army, where 
a board of in(piiry was organized (Sc])tember :5(>th), composed of fourteen 
general officers, to consider the pi'isoner's case. They nnaninu)nsly 
reported that '' Major Andre, adjutant-general of the British army, 
ought to be considered as a spy from the enemy, and that, agreeable to 
the law and usage of nations, it is their opinion he ought to suffer death."' 



THE FATE OF AHXOLD AND AXDRfi. 315 

He was accordingly executed on October 2il, ITSO. Andre Avas not then 
twenty-nine years of age. 

Great efforts were made to save the life of Majc>r Andre. It was 
known that he did not voluntarily become a spy, and almost imiversal 
sympathy was then, and has been ever since, evinced for him. Wash- 
ington would have saved him had the stern rules of war allowed. Sir 
Henry Clinton might have saved him had honor permitted him to 
exchange Arnold for Andre.* Ilis king pensioned his family and 
knighted his brother ; a mural monument to his memory was jilaced in 
AVestminster Abbey, and in 1SS2 a granite memorial stone was erected 
by a citizen of New York (Cyrus W. Field) on the spot where he was 
hanged as a spy, to commemorate that event. It wa.s destroyed by a 
miscreant with dynamite on the evening of November 2d, 1S85. It 
bore an inscription written by the late Dean Stanley, of London. 

The captors of Andre M-ere each awarded a silver medal and an 
annuity of 8200 for life. Arnold received his stipulated reward for 
his treasonable endeavors, and served as a British general in cruel 
marauding expeditions against his eountrymeii. None of the British 
officers woiild serve with him in the regular army. He was forever 
afterward shunned and despised by all honorable men on both sides of 
the ocean. 

A few weeks after the execution of Andre a stirring military event 
occurred on Long Island. Some refugee Tories from Rhode Island had 
taken possession of the St. George's Manor-house on Smith's Point and 
fortified it, and were cutting wood for the supply of the British at New 
York. Late in November Major Benjamin Tallniadge crossed Long 
Island Sound in whale-boats from Fairfield, Conn., with eighty dis- 
mounted dragoons, and at dawn (Noveml)er 23d) appeared before the 
Manor-house, burst through the stockade, rushed across the parade, and 
assailed the garrison on three sides, shouting, " Washington and glory !'' 
The garrison surrendered without resistance. Having secured three 
hundred prisoners, they were returning to their boats when they made a 
detoui-, and at Coram destroyed three hundred tons of hay gathered there 
for the nse of the British in New York. The expedition returned to 

* An attempt wa»inade to abduct Arnold from Clinton's headquarters at No. 1 Broad- 
■way, New York, and carry him to Wasliington's lieadquarters at Tappan. Serireant 
Champc, of Lee's Legion, was allowed to play the role of a deserter. He was met by the 
traitor with much cordiality. Arrangements were made for a party to seize Arnold while 
walking in the garden at the British headquarters with C'hampe, at evening of the day 
inecf'ding tlie execution of Andre. The quasi-deserter was foiled by being sent away 
wilh a i)arty of British to Chesapeake Bay on tliat day. 



316 TlIK EMI'IUE STATE. 

Connecticut without losing a man. Congress thanked the victors, ami 
"Washington warmly commenfled their valor.* 

Civil events in tiie regi()n known ;is tlie Xew Hampshire (irants created 
much uneasiness not only in Xew York, but throughout the Confederacy 
in 17S0. The controversy between New York and tlie Grants paused, 
as we have observed, at the beginning of the war for independence ; lint 
the spirit of liberty among the settlers east of Lake Ciiam plain continued 
conspicuously all tiirough the period of that war. Tiiey had assumed a 
provisional independent political organization, and in 1770 had petitioned 
tiie Continental Congress to admit them into tiie union as sucli. X'ew 
York so vehemently opposed their pretensions tliat their petition was 
rejected. 

At a popular convention held at Westminster in January, 1777, the 
people of the Grants declared their domain an independent State, for- 
ever thereafter to be " known and distinguishcil by the name of Xew 
Connecticut, alias Vermont." This position they maintained until 
Vermont was admitted into tiie tTiiion in 1791. 

Tlie State of Vermont was mucli strengrhened by tlic annexation of 
si.xteen towns laying east of the Connecticut River, which were claimed 
as part of the domain of New Hampshire. The latter State protested : 
New York denied tlie autliority of Vermont as independent of her juris- 
diction, widlst Congress, appealed to, could do notliing. 

In the southern portion of Vermont w'as tiie county of Cumberland, 
one of the fourteen political divisions of New York. Over tin's county 
New York exercised autliorit}'. Vermont claimed it as her own, and 
Massachusetts put in a claim for it and a portion of New York, trutii- 
fully asserting that the boundary between tlie Bay State and New York 
liad never been settled. Tiie inhabitants tiieniselves claimed ti> belong 
to Xew York, and in 1770 Governor Clinton gave commissions tci persons 
in tiiat county, whereupon Vermont ordered Colonel Ethan Allen to 
raise a militia force, marcli into the disputed district, and assert her 
autliority there, (xovernor Clinton directed the people to remain tirni 

* A similar gallant feat by soldiers from Conncctioiit had been pcrformcil on Loni: 
Island in the spring of 1777. Colonel K. .J. ileigs Wius .sent from Guilford with oni- 
hundred and seventy men in whale-boats, aceompanied by two armed schooners, to 
destroy British stores at Sag IIarlx)r, on the oa.stern end of Long Island. At night they 
crossed over a portion of Long Island to Peconic Bay, carrying their Ixiats with them, 
and at two o'clock in the morning attacked the British guards. An armed schooner 
0]X'ned fire upon them. The fire was returned with spirit, and the Americans killed or 
captured the whole British force, destroyed twelve brigs and sloops, one hundred tons of 
hay, a large quantity of rum and other stores and merchandise, and returned to Guilford 
with ninety prisoners. Congress thanked Meigs, and gave him an elegant sword. 



VERMONT COQUETS WITH THE BRITISH. 317 

in their allegiance to Xew York, and promised tlieni military assistance 
if required. Congress, having been appealed to, advised the four claim- 
ants to autliorize that body to determine the respective boundaries ; but 
really independent Yermont paid no attention to the recommendation, 
and nothing was then done. 

At this juncture a question of greater magnitude than these local dis- 
putes presented itself. The British authorities in Canada had eagerly 
watched the j^rogress of the quarrel with Yermont, and now entertained 
hopes that the latter would be so far alienated from the " rebel " cause, 
1)V the opposition of Xew York and the injustice of Congress, as to be 
induced to return to its allegiance to the British crown. Accordingly in 
the spring of 1780 Colonel Beverly Eobinson wrote to Ethan Allen from 
New York, making overtures to that effect. The letter was delivered to 
Allen in the street at Arlington by a spy disguised as a New England 
farmer. 

Allen laid the letter of Robinson before Governor Chittenden and 
others, who advised silence. In February, 1781, Robinson wrote 
another letter to Allen, enclosing a copy of the former. Allen made no 
reply, but early in March he sent Robinson's letter to Congress, with 
one from himself, which closed with the words : 

" I am as resolutely determined to defend the independence of 
Yermont as Congress is that of the United States ; aiid, rather than fail, 
I will retire with the hardy Green Mountain Boys into the desolate 
caverns of the mountains and wage war with human nature at large." 

Meanwhile information of the first letter written by Robinson, and 
the sending of a delegation from Congress to Yermont, had alarmed the 
authorities of New York. Governor Clinton, snsjjecting a combination 
against his State, wrote to James Duane (October 29th, 178(>) that in 
the event of a certain contingency the New York delegates would be 
withdrawn from Congress, '' and the resources of the State, whicili have 
hitherto been so lavishly afforded the Continent, be withheld for 
the defence of New York." Clinton called the attention of Washing- 
ton to the apparent danger, when the latter issued orders to General 
Schuyler to arrest Allen. Schuyler shared in Clinton's apprehensions, 
and wrote from Albany to the governor at Ponghkeepsie (October 31st), 
saying : 

" The conduct of some people to the eastward is alarmingly mys- 
terious. A flag, under pretence of settling a contest with Yermont, luis 
been on the Grants. Allen has disbanded his militia, and the enemy, in 
number upward of six hundred, are rapidly advancing toward us. The 
night before last thev ^vcre at Putnam's Point. Entreat General Wash- 



;jLs 



lllK K.Ml'lKK STATK. 




in<i;toii for more CoutiiuMitul troops, ami let iiu' licg of your Exculloiu-y 
to hasten up here." 

This M'iis iu alhision to a confcreuee between Allen and Coloiiul 
Dundas at Isle aux jS'oix coiiceniin*^ an cxchanj^e of prisoners. At that 
conference Dundas, under the direction of Governor Ilaldiuiund, made 
verbal proposals to Allen similar to those made by Robinson.* Allen now 

saw the opportunity for Vermont. 
He received the overtures witii 
apparent favor. Ilaldimand and 
Dundas were delighted with their 
apparent skill in diplomacy, and 
readily agreed to a ]iroposition 
from Alk^n not to allow hostili- 
ties on the Vermont frontier 
until after the meeting of the 
Legislature. Hence the dismis- 
sal of Allen's militia. 

The coquetry of the brothers 
Allen (Ethan and Ira) and six or 
eight other leaders in \'ermont 
with the British authorities in 
Canada continued nntil the peace 
in 1783, when dissinnilati(jn was 
no longer necessary. The con- 
clusion of the whole matter may be stated in a few words. The shrewd 
diplomatists of Vermont had been working for a twofold object — 
namely, to keep the British troops from their territory and to induce 
Congress to admit the independence of their domain as a State of the 
Union. They outwitted the Britons, hoodwinked Congress, and tinally 
gained their point. f 

* Beverly Robinson, a .stanch royalist, was bom in Virijiuia in 1734 ; died an exile at 
Thornbnry, England, in 1793. lie was a major under Wolfe at CJuebec. He married a 
dauirhter of Frederick Pliilipse. Up to tlie Declaration of Independence lie ol)posed the 
lueasiires of the Biilisli Government ; then ho espoused the cause of the crown, lie took 
an active tliou?.di srenerally a .secret part in the plot of .Vrnold and Andre. lie accom- 
panied the luller on his voyage up the Hudson in the Vulture to have an interview with 
Arnold, who occupied Robinson's house as headquarters at that time. He fled to England, 
and his property was confiscated. The British Government allowed him $80.1)00 as an 
indemnity for his losses. His wife died in England in 1832, at the age of ninetj-four 
years. 

f Ethan imd Ira .Mlin were remarkable men. Tliey were boih born iu Connecticut, 
Ethan in 1737. and Ira in 1751. The latter was Ethan's younger brother. Ethan was 
one of the proprietors of the iron works at Salisbury, Conn., in 1703. In 17G0 he went 



BEVEUI.V HOIil.NSON. 



A LONG DISPUTE SETTLED. 319 

Yet the difficnlties between New York and Vermont were not settled. 
Violent nieasnres had ceased forever. Both parties, however, were 
nnwilling to yield. Finally the Legislatures of the two States appointed 
commissioners late in 1789 to settle all matters of controversy. The 
only serious difficulty that remained related to compensation for the 
lands claimed by citizens of Xew York which had l)een granted to them 
by Vermont. It was finally agreed that the State of Vermont should 
])ay to the State of New York S30,000 in settlement of their claims. 
All other matters in dispute were adjusted, and so, amicably, was ended a 
bitter controversy which had been carried on for more than twenty-six 
years, at times threatening immediate civil war. In the spring of IVOl 
Vermont was admitted into the Union as an independent but not a 
sovereign State. 

Tlie Americans were not subdued at the close of 1780, but their cause 
was in great peril because of the extreme weakness of material props and 
the absence of an efficient civil government. The Continental paper 
money, which had hitherto greatly assisted in sustaining the cause, liad 
become almost worthless. " A M-agon-load of money," said a contem- 
porary, "would not buy a wagon-load of ])rovisions."' The several 
States were urged to supply quotas of funds fi)r the common use. Their 
responses were slow and feeble, for there was no central power compe- 
tent to levy taxes or demand forced loans. The idea of State sovereignty 
was all-controlling. Finally a plan of govermnent which had been dis- 
cussed in Congress since 1775 was adopted late in 1777, anil submitted to 
the State Legislatures for ratification. It was yet unratified, and the 
Continental Congress had but a shadow of power independent of the 
States, whose supremacy M'as made potential by the new constitution of 
government, which was entitled " Articles of Confederation." 

Id the New Ilumpshiru Grants, tlicii almost a wilderness, and, as we have observed, was 
a bol<l leader in the eontrovers_v with the settlers and the authorities of New York. He 
wrote several pamphlets during that controversy. He was outlawed by the authorities 
of New York ; took a conspicuous place in the opening scenes of the Revolution ; was 
carried a prisoner to England ; was exchanged in 1778, and invested with the chief com- 
mand of the Vermont militia. He was a leading coquette with the Canadian authorities ; 
served as a member of the Legislature of Vermont and a delegate iu Congress after the 
war, and died at Burlington, Vt., and was buried there iu February, 1789. 

Ira Allen was also an active patriot during the old war for independence in military 
and civil affairs. He was Secretary of State and member of the Council of Vermont. 
As .senior major-general of Vermont, in 1~Q.> ho was sent to Europe to piu'chasi- arms for 
his commonwealth. On his way homeward, with muskets and cannons, he was captured 
and taken to England as a French emissary intending to supply the Iri.sh with arms. He 
was soon released. He died in Philadelphia in 1814. Allen wrote a Natioiud and 
Political History of Vermont. 



320 



THE KMI>IHE STATE. 



Thoughtful men were alarmed and perplexed. The young Alexander 
Ilaniiltou (then in "Wasliington's military family), in a letter to James 
Duanu, one of tlie four New York menihers of Congress, denounced 
this sclieme of government as '• neither ^It for war nor peace. The 
nncontroilahle sovereignty in each State," he wrote, '" will defeat the 
jxiwers of Congress and make our union feeble and precarious." In 
his letter to Duane lie proposed a convention of all the States, for the 
purpose of constructing a national govermnent under the superintendence 
of one supreme head, and he proposed a plan, in the form of suggestions, 

which was substantially adopted 
several years afterward. 

There were no military opera- 
tions of great i-nportanee in the 
State of Xew York in 17S1 Ix'- 
fore the arrival of the Fi-ench 
troops, under Rochanibeau,* from 
Rhode Island, in the vicinity of 
the Hudson River, early in July. 
Sir Henry Clinton had sent the 
traitor Arnold, at the head of 
aljout sixteen hundred British 
and Tory marauders, into Yirgi- 
iiiu. Anxious to serve his royal 
master, Arnold was exceedingly 
active. He ascended the Jaines 
River to Ric-hinond, burned it, with a very large quantity of public 
and private ])roperty, and then made a plundering raid down the river. 
Alarmed by information that the French tleet from Rhode Island had 
sailed for Chesapeake Bay, lie fled up the Elizabeth River and took 
post at Portsmouth, opposite Norfolk. Great efforts were made to 
seize him. Lafayette w:is sent to Yirginia with troops to assist the 
Baron von Steuben, f then in command there. The Yirginia militia turned 
out in large numbei'S to oppose the traitor. 

* Count (If Hocluinibcau was bom at Vendome, France, in 1725 ; died in May, 1807. 
He entered the army in his youth, and rose rapidly to distinction. With tlie commission 
of lientenant-jreneral he eanie to America witli troops to ns.sist the patriots in llieir 
sliii^tnie with British power. After the capture of C'ornwallis at Yorktown, in 1781, he 
remained some time in Atnerica, returnins to France late in 1782. In 1791 he was made 
a inarslial of France and placed in command of the Army of the North. He narrowly 
escaped the guillotine. Bonaparte pensioned him in 1804, and gave him the decoration 
of the Cross of Grand Oflicer of the Lejrion of Honor. 

t Frederick W. A. (Baron) von Steulx'n was a native of Prussia, born at ifagdeburg. 




COUNT m: HOCIIAMHE.M'. 



CORXWALLIS IN VIHGIXIA. 



331 




Governor Jefferson offered ;i reward of S2o,000 for liis capture, and a 
portion of the French Heet shut him up in the Elizabetli River. The 
fleet was soon compelled to retreat, after a conflict with Admiral 
Arhiithnot. 

General T'hillips soon afterward joined Arnold with two thousand men, 
and took the chief command. Finally Lord Cornwallis entered Virginia 
from Xorth Carolina, joined the forces of Phillips and Ai-nold, and 
attempted the subjno-ation of that State, lie was driven back to the 
coast early in the sum 
mer by the forces of 
Steuben and Lafayette, 
and took post at and 
fortified Yorktown, on 
the Ycn-k River. Clin- 
ton liad ordered him to 
be near the sea, in order 
to rc-enforce the garri- 
son at Xew York, if 
necessary. It was then 
seriously menaced 1)V the 
combined American and 
French forces. 

The Count de Grasse, 
a distinguished admiral, was tlien in conmiand of a French fleet in the 
West Lidies, and Washington was assured that he was ready to co-op- 
erate with the allied armies in any undertaking that promised success. 
Meanwhile Rochandieau had led the French troops from IS^ew England 
to the Hudson River, and the junction of the Americans and their allies 
took ])l;ice near Dobb's Ferry on July Gth. Washington was tlien con- 
templating an attack upon the British in the city of New York, but 
l)efore De Grasse was ready to co-operate with him Sir Henry received 

in 1780. He hckl a distinguished place in the Prussian army, and rose to the office of 
grand marshal in 1764. He joined the Continental array in America in 1777, and was 
appointed inspector-general, doing excellent service until the close of the war. For his 
services the State of New York gave him sixteen thousand acres of wild land in Oneida 
County, where he built a log-house for himself. The National GovernmenI gave liim au 
annuity of $2500. He withdrew from society, and dwelt on his domain until his death, 
in November. 1794. By his will he ])areelled his estates among his aides (Colonels North, 
Popliam, and Walker) and twenty or thirty tenants. The State of New .Jersey also gave 
him a small farm. He was kind, generous, and witty, and possessed polished manners. 
( )ver Ids grave in the town of Steuben, about seven miles north-west of Trenton Falls, a 
]ilain monument was erected, by private subscription, in 1826 — simply a recumbent slab 
with his name upon it. 



STEUBEX S MOSUMEXT. 



323 



THK EMI'Iin: STATK. 



re-cnforcements (August lltli) of tlirec tliousiiiul troops from England. 
At about the same time Wasliinirton was informed that De Grasse could 
not leave the "West Indies just then. 

Lafayette had written to Wasliington that (Jornwallis had made a great 
mistake in intrencliing himself at Yorktown, and urged the eommauder- 
in-ehief to marcli into Virginia. " Should a Frencli Heet entei' nanipton 
Koads,'' lie wrote, " the Britisli army would ho (•ompelled to surrender." 
For six weeks the allied armies lay in ^Vestchester County, waiting for 
the arrival of De Grasse to attack Xew York. When, a few days after 
the arrival of Clinton's re-enforeenients, Washington was informed that 
De Grasse was about to sail for the Chesapeake, lie resolved to march to 

Virginia and assist Steuben and 

^ — Lafayette in opposing Cornwal- 

/ lis. lie wrote misleading letters 

to General Greene in New Jer- 
sey, and sent them so as to be 
intercepted by Sir Henry. Gen- 
eral Schuyler also wrote a letter 
to Washington for the same pur- 
pose. These letters so adroitly 
concealed Washington's reid in- 
tentions that it was ten days after 
the allies had crossed the Hudson 
and were marching fur the Dela- 
ware and beyond l)efore Clinton 
was convinced the movement was 
not a feint to cover a sudden 
descent upon Xew Yoik. It was 
then too late to interce])t or suc- 
cessfully to pursue the allies, and he sent Arnold with a band of maraud- 
ere to desolate the New England coast, hoping to recall the Americans. 

Washington M'as in chief command of the allied armies, and bearing 
the commission of lieutenant-general from the King of France. He 
arrived before Yorktown Avith twelve thousand troops on September 
2Sth, and soon began a siege. De Grasse had already arrived, and was 
guarding the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. The siege was carried on 
vigorously, and on October I'Jth Cornwallis was compelled to surrender 
to Wasliington and De Grasse, himself and about seven thousand troops, 
the post \vith all its ordnance and sujjplies, his shipping and seamen. A 
vast concourse of people, etpnd in number, it was said, to the military, 
was assendded from the surrounding country to participate in the event 




BARON VON STECnEN. 



EFFECTS OF THE SUHREXDER OF CORNWALLIS. 323 

so jovt'iil to the Americans. Ciiiitou appeared at tlie entrance of ('liesa- 
peako Bay a few days afterward with seven tliousand troops to re- 
ouforee Cornwall is. It was too lato, and he sailed back to New York 
amazed and disheartened. 

The surrender of Cornwallis filled the hearts of patriotic Americans 
with joy, for it was a prophecy of peace and independence. That 
]irophecy was soon fnltilled. The desire for peace, which had long- 
liiirneJ in the hearts of the British peojjle, now found such potential 
expression that it was heeded by the British Ministry. 

The news from Yorktown fell like a lighted bombshell in the midst of 
the war party in Parliament, and public ojiinion found immediate and 
vehement expression in bath Houses. Lord North, the premier, who 
had misled the nation for twelve years, retired from ofHce (March 20th, 
17S2), the advocates for ]icace came into power, and early in May 
ensuing Sir Guy Carleton, who had succeeded Clinton as commander-in- 
chief of the British forces in America, arrived at Xew York with propo- 
sitions for a reconciliation. 

Measures were immediately taken by Congress and the Britisli Gov- 
ermnent to arrange a treaty of peace. Commissioners were appointed 
by the high contracting powers, in which France, an ally of the Ameri- 
cans, was included, and on November 30th a preliminary treaty was 
signed at Paris. A definitive treaty was signed at the same place on 
September 3d, 17S3, by which the independence of the United States 
was acknowledged by the King of Great Britain. 

War had raged in the South during 17S1. General Nathaniel Greene 
liad succeeded General Gates in command of the Sonthern army, and 
with the main body took post at Cheraw, east of the Pedee River. 
Among his most active lieutenants was General Daniel Morgan, who 
with a thousand men occupied the region near the confluence .of the 
Pacolet and Broad rivers. 

f'lirnwallis M'as al)Out to march into North Carolina, when he found 
himself between two tires. lie sent the energetic Colonel Tarleton to 
capture or disperse Morgan's men. The belligerents met in battle at 
the Cowpens, in Western South Carolina (January ITth, 17S1), where 
Tarleton was defeated with much loss. Congress rewarded Morgan with 
a gold medal, and his two lieutenants, Colonels Howard and Washington, 
with a silver medal each. 

Morgan started for Virginia with his five hundred prisoners and much 
spoil. Cornwallis attempted to intercept or overtake him, but failed. 
Morgan crossed the Catawba before him, and on the banks of the Yadkin 
he was joined by Greene and his escort. 



324 TIIK KMIMKF, f^TATE. 

Now began the famous retreat of the Aiiiuricaii army, iimler General 
Greene, from the C'ata\vl)a tliroiigli North Carolina into Virginia. Corn- 
wallis had been detained by the sudden swelling of the Catawl)a by a 
heavy rain. He reached the Yadkin (February Sd) just as the Ameri- 
cans were safely landed on the opposite shore. Swelling tioods again 
arrested him. The patriots pressed onward, and Cornwallis was soon 
again in full pursuit. At Guilford Court-IIouse Greene was joined by 
his main army from Clieraw, but he was not strong enough to light. 
They all continued the lligiit, and after many escapes the Amuric-ans 
reached the Dan (Fe])ruary loth), ;md (;rossed the rising waters into the 
friendly bosom of Halifax, in Virginia. Cornwallis, again foilcil by a 
tiood, abandoned the chase, and moved sullenly southward tlirough 
North Carolina. 

Greene soon recrossed the Dan, to prevent Cornwallis organizing the 
Tories in North Carolina, llocruits had swelled his rai:ks, and at the 
beginning of March he found himself in command of about live thousand 
troops. He sought an engagement with Cornwallis, and on March loth 
they fought a very severe battle near Guilford Court-Ilouse. Although 
the British remained masters of the field, the victory was almost as 
destructive for Cornwallis as a defeat. "Another such a victory," 
said Charles J. Fox, in the Jlousc of Commons, " will luin the British 
army." The battalions of (Jornwallis were .so shattered that he 
could not maintain the advantage he had gained. Thoroughly dis- 
pirited, he abandoned Western North Carolina, and niuved with his 
whole army to AVilmington, leaving Lord Rawdon in command of a 
iJritish force at Camden. Cornwallis soon afterward marched into 
Virginia. 

Greene with all his force pursued Cornwallis some distance, and then 
inarched for Camden, lie encamped upon llobkirk's Hill, within a 
mile of Rawdon's encampment, where he was surprised l)y the British 
forces on the morning of April ^.jth. After a sharp battle of several 
iiours Greene was defeated, but on his retreat he carried away all his 
artillery and baggage and fifty British prisoners. 

Greene's army began to increase, when Rawdon, alarmed for the 
safety of his posts in the lower country, abandoned Camden and took 
position at Nelson's Ferry, on the Santee. Within the space of a week 
the Americans seized four important posts, and Greene was making rapid 
marches toward Fort Ninety-Six, on the site of the (present) village of 
Cambridge, in Abbeville District. In all these operations Greene was 
greatly aided by Colonel Henry Lee ('' Light Horse Harry") and his 
famous Legion. At the beginning of June the British po.^sessed only 



GREENES OPERATIONS IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 325 

three posts in South Carolhui — namolj', Cliarleston, Nelson's Ferry, and 
Ninety-Six. 

General Greene began the siege of Ninety-Six on May 22d, hnt on 
the approach of Rawdon with a strong force he was compelled to 
abandon it on June 19th. Meanwhile Lee, Pickens, and others had 
gained victories on the Savannah River. They captured Fort Galphin, 
below Augusta, on May 21st, and after a siege of eleven days and a iinal 
assault Augusta was surrendered to Lee and Pickens. Then the victors 
hastened to join Greene before Ninety-Six, and with him they retreated 
beyond the Saluda River. The Americans finally crossed the Congaree, 
and the main body encamped during the hot and sickly season on the 
High Hills of Santee, in Santee District. 

Rawdon left his army at Orangeburg with Colonel Stewart and 
returned to England. Re-enforced by North Carolina troops, Greene 
crossed the Wateree at the close of August, and marched upon Orange- 
burg, when Stewart I'ctreated to Eutaw Spi'ings, near the Santee, (Treene 
pursued and overtook him tliere, and on the morning of September Sth 
they fought a sanguinary battle. The Americans were victorious at 
first, but lost the prize for which they contended, by imprudence. Unex- 
pectedly the British renewed the conflict, and after a severe struggle for 
several hours the Americans were defeated. Stewart, however, thought 
it prudent to retreat toward Charleston during the night, and on the Hth 
Greene took possession of the battle-field. Congress rewarded him with 
a gold medal and other honors. 

Annoyed by the active partisan corps in South Carolina, the British 
soon afterward evacuated their interior posts and retired to Charleston. 
At the close of 1781 they were confined to the cities of Charleston and 
Savannah. 



336 



TIIK KMIMHE STATK. 



ClIAl'TKli XXIII. 

TiiK Americans did not j'elax their vigilance wliile negotiations for 
peace wen; in progi-ess. Tiie army was kept intact, for liritisli troops 
seemed still disposed to he aggressive. The last hlood shed in the Itev(j- 
Intion was spilled in a skirmish Avith a Ih-itish foraging party not far from 
Charleston in August, 17S2. Already the Britisli troops had evacuated 
(Savannah (July 11th), hut they held Charleston until Dccendjer 1-lth, 




liOOM IN" WASHINGTON S IIKAIKJIAHTKUS. 



when they left it forever, and the city of i\'ew York alone was then in 
possession of the Britons. They remained tliorc ahnost a year longer. 

^reanwhilo the State of Xew York became tlie theatre of most 
important events in the career of the Continental army, encamped hetween 
TCewljnrgh and Xew "Windsor, ahove the Hudson Highlands. Tiic head- 
• piarters of the army was at Xewbiirgh.* Tn the autumn of 17^2 it was 

* The quaint old stone house at Newbursrh used by Wn.shington as headquarters is yet 
.'ilrinilinir. and is preserved in its oriL'inal form outside anil in. It i< the iiroperty of Ilie 



PATRIOTISJI EXPOSED TO TEMPTATION. 337 

temporarily transferred to Verplanck's Point, below the Highlands, to 
meet the French troops on their return from Virginia, preparatory to 
their marching into New England to embark for France. At that time 
the Continental army numbered about ten thousand men. 

The joy inspired by the prospects of peace was mingled by gloomy 
forelwdings concerning the future. The army, which through the most 
terrible sufferings had been faithful and become a conqueror, was soon 
to be disbanded, and thousands of soldiers, many of them uiade invalids 
by their hard service in tiie field, would be compelled to seek a liveli- 
liootl in the midst of the desolation which war had produced. 

For a long time the public treasury had been empty, and neither 
officers m^r private soldiers had received any pay for several months. 
Murmurings of discontent were heard throughout the army. The weak- 
ness of the Confederation was ascribed to its republican form, and many 
men sighed for a stronger government. A change, to be wrought by 
the army, was actually proposed by Colonel Nicola, a meritorious foreign 
officer of the Pennsylvania line. In a well written letter addressed 
(May, 1TS2) to the comnumder-in-chiiif at his headquarters at Newburgh, 
he not only urged the necessity of a monarchy, but endeavored to 
persuade Washington to become King, by the voice of the army, in 
imitation of the actions of the Roman legions. The sharp rebuke admin- 
istered by the commander-in-chief in his reply checked all further move- 
ments in that direction. 

Toward the close of the winter of 1783 the discontent in the army 
assumed a more formidable shape. The officers had asked Congress to 
make a full settlement of all accounts, past and present. That body, 
feeble in resources, would not make any definite promises of present 
relief or future justice. This increased the discontent, and early in the 
spring (March 11th) a well-writfen anonymous address, purporting to be 
from a suffering veteran, was circulated through the American camp. 
It advised the army to take matters into its own hands, and make a 
demonstration that should alarm the people a,nd Corigress, and thus 
obtain justice. It declared that to be tame in their present situation 
would be worse than weakness on the part of the soldiers, and it 
exhorted them to " suspect the nuui who could advise to more modera- 
tion and longer forbearance."' The tenor of the whole address was 
inflammatorv. With it was privately circulated a notification of a meet- 

Stato of Xcw York, and in tlio custotly of the corporation of Xtnvburgh. It presents tho 
remarkable feature in one room (whicli Wasliiugton used as a dining-room) of seven doors 
and only one window, with a luige tireplac<'. which is large enough to admit of roasting 
a small bullock whole. The house is filled with relics of the Hevulution. 



328 



Tin: i;mi'Ii;i; statk. 



ing of officers at a larire buildiiii;: tvillud tlie Teinple, wliicli liad l>eeii 
erected lor the use of piiMic gatherings and the Free ^lasons of tlie arinv. 
These papers were hrouglit to the notice of VV^asliington on the day 
they were issued. lie referred to tliein in general orders tlie next 
morning ; expressed his disapi>roval ; invited the general and field- 
officers of tile army to assemble at the Temple at noon on the I'.'th 
([March, ITS.'Ji, and retpiested General (rates to preside at the meeting. 
There was a full attendance. Washington stepped upon the platform to 
read an address which he had prepared for the occasion. As he put on 
Iiis spectacles he remarked : "' You see, gentlemen, I have not only 

grown gray but Wmd in your 
service." These words touched 
a tender choi'd of sympathy in 
all hearts. 

The address was a model — 
compact in construction, digni- 
fied and patriotic in sentiment, 
mild yet severe in its strictures, 
and abounding with the nu)st 
important suggestions concerning 
the best interests of the army, 
represented by the men before 
him, the citizens, the TJepublic, 
and human freedom. On clos- 
ing his address Washington ini- 
mediately retired, leaving the 
officers to discuss the subject 
unrestrained by his presence. 
The deliberations of the officers were brief. They unanimously con- 
demned tlie addresses ; voted thanks to their chief for the course he had 
pur.'^ued ; expressed tiieir unabated attachment to his person ; declared 
their unshaken confidence in the good faith of (Congress, and their 
determination to bear with ])atience their grievances until they should 
be redressed. 

The author of the seditious addresses was ^lajor John Armstrong, a 
member of (rates's military family and a young man tiien twenty-tive 
years of age. He was Secretary of War in Madison's Caliinct in ISl-i. 

A few weeks later the disbanding of the Continental army began at 
Xew Windsor and its vicinity. Congress proid.iimeil a cessation of 
hostilities on A])ril IKtli. The soldiers who liad enlisted '" for the war" 




claimed the right to go home. 



Congress insisted that their terms of 



LATEST SURVIVOU OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. 3-29 

eiilistiiient would not exjjire before a dofinitive treaty of peace sliould he 
effected. Washington exercised the office of mediator and pacificator, 
lie issued long and really indefinite fiirlcmghs to all the soldiers excepting 
those who re-enlisted nntil a peace establishment should be orijanized. 
The furloughed soldiers went home and never returned. A definitive 
treaty of peace was signed at Paris on September 3d (1783), and on 
( (ctobcr isth Congress, by proclamation, discharged the soldiers of the 
Continental army.'" 

Before the beginning of the disbandment of the army in June (1783) 
the officers, at the suggestion of General Knox, formed an association at 
their cantoTiment, near Nevvburgh, having for its chief objects the promo- 
tion of cordial friendship and indissoluble union among themselves, and 
to extend l)enevolent aid to such of its members as might need assistance. 
They named the organization the Society of the Cincinnati. Wash- 

* The number of the soldiers of the Continental army at its disbandment, and its con- 
dition, was much tlie same as it was at the time of the Declaration of Independence, seven 
j-ears before. On .July 4th it consisted of 7T54 men present and lit for duty, including 
one regiment of artillery. Their arms were in a wretched condition. Nearly one half 
the muskets of the infantry were without bayonets. During the war 231.771 soldiers 
were enrolled in the Continental army. These were furnished by llie respective States, 
each in numl)er, as follows : 

New Hampshire 12.497 [ Deluware ^. 2.380 



Mussacliugetts GT.iKJT 

Rliode Island 5,908 

CoEiieclicut 31,9.39 

New York 17,781 

New Jersey 10.726 

Pennsylvania 25, 678 



Maryland 13,912 

Virginia 26,078 

North Carolina 7,263 

South Carolina 6,417 

Georgia 2,679 

Total 231,771 



The last two survivors of the Continental army were Lemuel Cook, of New York, and 
AVilliam Huteliings, of Maine. Cook was born at Plymouth, Liehtield County, Coim., 
in 1764, and died at Clarendon, Orleans County, N. Y., May 20th, 1866, at the age of 
one hundred and two years. Hutchings was born at Y'ork, Maine, October 6tli, 1764, 
and died May 2d, 1866, also nearly one hundred and two years of age. Lemuel Cook 
entereil the military service of his country in the spring of 1781, at the age of seventeen 
years, anil was with the allied armies in the campaign against Cornwallis in Virginia. 
He was one of the regulars, and was a member of the Second Regiment of Light 
Dragoons, commanded by Colonel Sheldon, but was soon mustered into tlie infantry. 
At the end of the war lie was discharged at Danbury, Conn. He soon afterward married 
Hannah Curtis, of Cheshire, Conn., by whom he had seven sons and four daughters. 
He married a second wile when he was seventy years of age. In his earlier j'cars he 
lived in the tlien almost wilderness region of L'tica, N. Y. Most of his ehildren were 
born in Connecticut. He moved into Central New York with liis young family, and 
lived at Clarendon jtbout thirty years previous to his death. He was a farmer all his life. 
In 1863 his annual pension was increased from $100 to $200, and the la-st year of his life 
to $300. New Y'ork has the distinction of having as a citizen the kmt surviBinff soldier of 
the Continental iirmy. 



330 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



ington was chosen its president and General Henry Knox its secretary. 
This was called the General Six:iety. State societies were fonne<J 
auxiliary to the general society. To perpetuate the association, its con- 
stitution entitled the eldest masculine de- 
scendant of an original member to wear 
the order, or badge, and enjoy the priv- 
ileges of the society.* 

The last act in the drama uf the old 
war for indej)endence was |>erfonned at the 
city of Xew York late in 17S3. The 
opening scene was the flight of the Loyal- 
ists, or Tories. These supporters of the 
crown were numerous and actire, especially 
in Xew York City and State. They had 
aroused the most intense indignation — nay. 
hatred, of the Whigs against them by their 
oppressive conduct, civil and military, and 
when it was known that the British troop^^ 
were soon to leave the city of Xew York 
they hastened, with the utmost consterna- 
tion, to fly to some place of refuge from 
the impending wrath of the patriots. 

In October a fleet of transports conveyed 
hundreds of Loyalists, or Tories, to Xova 
Scotia, and at the evacuation (which wa- 
delayed for want of vessels to transport 
them) other hundreds fled to the same 
British province. 

The property of many Loyalists in the 
State of Xew York was confiscated by law:; 
passed for the purpose during the war, but 
after peace and independence were estab- 
lished justice and policy required a general 
amnesty. The harsh laws were repealed, 
and much of the confiscated property was 
restored. Many of the refugees in Xova Scotia who could procure the 
means to do so came back, and in the course of a score of vears the 





ORDER OF niE SOCrETT OF THE 
CISCtXSATI. 



* Till- order or badsre of the society consisted of a golden spn-ad easle. with eniimti- 
linsr. ->i>pended on a ribbon. On the brea.«t of the eajile is a medallion with a device repn- 
s«-ntin2 C"incinnatu.s at hLs plough receiving the Roman senators who came lo offer him 
the chief niajTsfratv of Rome. 



EVACUATION OF XEW YORK BY THE BRITISH. 331 

social animosities engendered l)y tho \\:ir were healed or greatly modi- 
fied. 

Tlie time fixed for tlie evacuation of ISew York was Novemljcr 2.5th. 
On tlie morning of that day General Washington and his staff and Gov- 
ernor Clinton and staff, escorted by General Knox and some troops who 
came down from "West Point, appeared at tlie (present) junction of Tliird 
and Fourth avenues — the " liead of the Bowery Lane" — and halted there 
until noon. At one o'clock, when the IJritisli had withdrawn to the 
water's edge for embarkation, the Americans marched into tlio city, the 
ireneral and governor at their head, and before three o'clock General 
Knox liad taken possession of Fort George, at tho foot of Broadway, amid 
tlie acclamations of thousands of citizens and the roar of artillery. Tiien 
Washington and his officers retired to Fraunce's Tavern. '■' Governor 
Clinton and the civil officers went to the City Hall and re-established 
civil government, and at evening the cliief magistrate gave a public din- 
ner at P'raunce's Tavern. The last sail of the British fleet that bore 
away the army and the Loyalists did not disappear beyond the Narrows 
liefore twilight. 

The final scene in tlie last act was now performed. Washington as- 
sembled his officers in a large room in Fraunce's Tavern on December 
4th, and there bade them farewell, lie entered the room, and taking a 
glass of wine in liis hand, said : 

" AVith a heart full of love and gratitude 1 now take leave of you. I 
most devoutly wish tliat your latter days may be as prosperous and 
hajipy as your former ones have Ijeen glorious and honorable." Flaving 
tasted the wine, he continued : " 1 cannot come to each of you to take 
my leave, but shall be obliged to you if each will come and take me by 
the iiand." 

A tender scene ensued. Tears moistened the war-worn cheeks of tiie 
veterans before him as each pressed the hand of their beloved commander 
and received from his lips a kiss upon their foreheads. Then Wasli- 
ington left the room in silence, passed through a corps of light infantry, 
walked to Whitehall (now tlie Staten Island Ferry), followed by a large 
multitude of grateful citizens, and at two o'clock p.m. entered a barge that 



* This building, jet staiifling, is on the conicr of Broad aud Pearl streets. It was 
partially ilestroyed by tire in .June, 1852. Samuel Fraunee, the proprietor, liad a dark 
complexion, and was called "Black Sam," When President Washin.gton resided in 
New Y'ork Fraunee became the caterer for the Presidential mansion. Freneau, in his 
'■ Hugh Gaine's Petition," makes that time-server allude to the cannonade of the Asio, 
man-of-war. and say : 

" At firt^t we supposed it wat* only a sham 
Till he drove a rouud ball lhroui;h the roof of BUick Sam." 



Xii 



THE EMl'IHE S'PATK. 



conveyed liim to Paulus' Hook (now Jersey City), wlience he journcycil 
iirst to Pliiladelpliia and thence to Anna])olis, wliere the Continental 
Congress Wius in session. To that hody, assenihled in the Senate Ciianiber 
of the old State House, at noon on December 23d (17S3>, lie resigned 
his commission of commander-in-chief of tlie armies, which he received 
from tliem more than eii;iit years before. 

From Anna])iili> Wasiiington journeyed to Mount Vernon in liis owi, 
carriage, accompanied l)y liis wife, wlicre lie arrived on Cliristmas eve. 
Then lie laid aside his sword and military garments, and, joyfully resign- 




FIKST fiREAT SEAL OF THE STATE <1K NEW YORK. 



ing tilt' cares of publit- life, like ( 'incinnatus, returned to his plough — a 
farmer on the banks of the Potomac. 

During all the storir.y period, from the foundation of the State Govern- 
ment, in tiie summer of 1777, until the departure of the last hostile foot 
from its shores, in 1783, New York had been laying the foundations of 
its future greatness strong and deep, and at the same time it had been 
just and generous in its fraternal relations with its sister States. It 
grappled the great task before it with en(;rgy and wisdom. It held 
a commanding ])osition. The ])rominent part it had taken in the mighty 
struggle just ended ; the fact that it alone uf all the States had promjttly 



CAPITAL OF THE STATE AND SEALS. 



333 



met every requirement of tlie Provisional General Government, and even 
made advances on its own credit to supply the deficiencies of other 
States ; its extensive conuiierce and large territory, and the al)ility and 
patriotism of its leading statesmen, entitled it to special consideration, 
and gave it great ■weight in 
the councils of the nation. 

The sessions of the State 
Legislature were held alter- 
nately at Poughkeepsie, New 
York, and Albany, after the 
tiiglit from Kingston in the 
fall of 1777. until the begin- 
ning of 179S — a period of 
about twenty years. At that 
time All):uiy became the per- 
manent political capital of the 
State, and a new great seal 
was adopted.* 

The first care of the Leg- 
islature after the war was 
the adjustment of boundaries, 
land claims, etc. In this par- 
ticular Xew York found itself in a peculiar situation, because of rival 
claims to its soil. Of the territory which, by the treat}' of peace, was 
ceded by Great Britain to the Ignited States in their collective capacity, 
each of tiie individual States claimed such portions as were compre- 




SECOXD GKEAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF XEW YORK. 



* Three great seals of the State of Xcw York have been made. The first two were 
pcndaut, and the thh-d is incumbent. The first great seal, adopted in 1777 by the con- 
vention that framed the State Constitution, was rudely engraved on brass. It bore on 
one side a rising sun ; motto. Excelsior ; legend, The Great Seal of the State of 
New York. On the other side a rock in the midst of the ocean, and the word Fiustba. 
The aliovc engraving is from a drawing of an impression made on bceswa.x and attached 
to a commission signed by Governor Clinton. It shows the method of attaching pendant 
seals lo the parchment. It is three and a quarter inches in diameter and about three 
eightlis of an inch in thickness. A second seal was authorized in 1798. and the description 
was recorded, January 22d, 1799, as follows : " The arms of the State complete, with 
supporters, crest, and'motto ; round the same. The Great Seal of the State of New 
York. On the reverse a rock and waves beating against it ; motto, ' Frustra above ; 
1798 below. ' " The obver.sc of the seal is delineated above. 

In 1809 the great seal (incumbent) now in use wa.s ordered, and was first attached to a 
docinnent in November of that year. Il bears the arms of the State of New York, a little 
Miipclified in the design. In the second seal the supporters are standing : in the third they 
are sitting. In both the crest is the siimt — an eagle preparing to soar from a demi-globe. 



334 THE EMPim; STATi: 

hended witliiu tlieir original grants or charters. Massachusetts conse- 
qneiitly hiid claim to a strip of land equal to its own extent north and 
south, and extending westward to "the South Sea,"' or tlie Pacilic 
Ocean. Tliis included all the territory of New York between tlie 
latitude of Troy on the nortli and tlie northern part of Ducliess County 
on the south. Connecticut made a similar claim on the same pretext. 
This would have included nearly all southern New York. Before con- 
sidering these claims, let us take a hricf notice of the rights of older 
and more legitimate possessors and actual occupants of the soil of New 
Y'ork — the Six Nations. 

The conditions of peace with the Six Nations were settled hetween 
them and the United States at a treaty held at Fort Stanwix (Sciunder, 
now Home) in October, 1784, at which Oliver Wolcott, llicliard Butler, 
and Arthur Lee represented the United States. By that treaty the 
■western boundary of the Six Nations was fixed at the longitudinal par- 
allel of BulTalo. lied Jacket, afterward the great Seneca chief, then 
first appeared as an orator in opposition to the treaty, which deprived 
the Confederacy of their hunting-grounds north of tlie Oiiio. The Six 
Nations were guaranteed the peaceable ])Ossessioii of their lands eastward 
of the boundary named, excepting a reservation of six miles square 
around Fort Oswego. 

From time to time after 1785 the State and individuals procured lands 
from the Indians by cession or by purcha.se. The Tuscaroras and 
Oneidas first ]iarted with some of their territories in 178."). In 17S8 
both the Oneidas and the Onondagas disposed of all their lands, except- 
ing some reservations, and in 1789 the Cayugas ceded all their lands to 
the State, excepting a reservation of one hundred square miles excdusive 
of Cayuga Lake. In each case the right of free hunting and fishing in 
all the counties was reserved. 

The Senecas parted with most of their territory in 1797. The same 
year the Mohawks, most of whom fled to Canada at the clo.se of the war, 
relinqui-shed all their lands to the State for a consideration. So late as 
1819 there were about five thousand of the Six Nations in the State, in 
possession, in eleven reservations, of two hundred and seventy-one 
thou.sand acres of land. In 1838 these lands had been disposed of, 
nearly all the titles extinguished, and the Indian population had removed 
westward, some of tliem l)eyond the ^lississippi Bivcr. Sucii was the final 
act in the drama of tlie once ])owerful barbarian republic in tiie State of 
New York — the great Iroquois League. It now disappeared from the 
face of the earth and entere>l the realm of past history. 

The claim of Massachusetts to a part of the territory of New York 



DISPOSITION OF NEW YORK TERRITORY. 335 

was aniicalily adjusted Iiy a convention held at Hartford in December, 
ITsii, wlioii it was agreed that the Bay State should cede to Xew York 
all claims to " govermnent, sovereignty, and jurisdiction" over about 
six million acres of the soil, including wiiat is known as " Western New 
York." The domain extended from a line drawn north and south 
between Pennsylvania and Canada on the meridian of Seneca Lake to the 
western boundary of the territory of the Six Nations, already defined. 
At the same time Xew York ceded to Massachusetts and to her grantees 
and tlieir heirs the right of pre-emption of the soil from the native 
Indians, and ■■' all other estate, right, title, and property," excepting 
government, sovereignty, etc. Tlie claim of Connecticut was summarily 
rejected.* 

Massachusetts proceeded to .sell the right of pre-emption of tliis tract. 
In 1788 Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham bargained for the whole 
tract, agreeing to pay ^1,000,000. Unable to fulfil the conditions, they 
took two million six hundred thousand acres. Between that time and 
1793 the remainder of the domain was disposed of to several purchasers,t 
and settlements were soon afterward begun. 

After the peace (1783) Congress, considering measures for meeting the 
claims of public creditors, invited the several States to vest in that body 
j)0\ver to levy duties on imports within their respective jurisdictions. 
All the States had acceded to tins reipiest in 1786 excepting New York. 
Tliis Slate reserved that right to itself, and refused to make the col- 
lectors amenable to and removable by Congress. It also made the duties 
payal)le in the bills of credit issued by the State. At tliis juncture 
Congress asked Governor Clinton to call a special session of the Legisla- 
ture, for the purpose of passing a law conformable to those of other States 
concerning the public revenue. The governor refused compliance. 

* Under this cUiim Connecticut made .some grants to settlers within the State of New 
Yorlv, also in Pennsylvania and in Ohio. The Wyoming Valley was settled by Con- 
necticut people, so also was the region in Ohio known as the Western Reserve. 

t The following is a list of the titles of the subdivisions of the Ma.ssachusetts domain in 
Western New York purchased of the Indians, with the number of acres in each : 

Phdim and Goi-hum tract, 2,600,000 ; Morris liaterre, .500,000 ; Triaiiyular. 87,000 ; 
Ojiuierticiit, UM.OOO; Crayir. 'iOfiOO : ft/rfc//. 50,000 ; Cottinger, rM.imO ; Forty Thuumnd 
Acre, 40,000 ; Strrritt, 1.50,000 ; Cliinrli. 100,000 ; Morrh'ti Hononiri/ Creditors, .')8,570 ; 
nolhiiid Compdiiy's Piurhnse, .3,600,000 : Boston Ten Towns, 2a().400. Before the close 
of tli<; last century a larger portion of the soil of Northern New York was in the po.sses- 
sion of land speculators. Among them Alexander JIacomb, father of General Macomb, 
was the most extensive holder, in Franklin, St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, and 
Herkimer coimties. He purchased over two million live hundred thousand acres for 
eighteen cents an acre, on along credit, without interest. This reckless .squandering of 
the public domains by the commissioners of llie Limd Office was .severely condemned. 



336 THE KMI'lltK -^I'ATK. 

This independent action of Xew York made the inherent weakness of 
the Articles of Confederation, as a form of national irovcrnnient, very 
conspionons. New York had already taken otlioial action, for the pur- 
pose of giving to Congress more power for the collecting of revenue than 
had yet been proposed.* 

Wasliington had ol^servcd with great anxiety the tendency toward ruin 
of the new government, and ho now proposed a convention of rei)resen- 
tatives of the States to consider amendments of the Articles. A conven- 
tion was called at Annapolis in Septcml)er, llsO. Only five States 
responded. Xew York was one of them, and was represented by Alex- 
ander ilaiiiilton. X(>tliing was done except to recommend the assem- 
bling of anotiier cuiiveiition at Tiiiladelpliia in ilay the next year. It 
was d(»iie. .Vll tiie States but New IhunpsJiire ami lihode Island were 
represented. Ilobert Yates, John Lansing, Jr., and Alexander Ham- 
ilton rei)resented Xew York. Wasliington, a delegate from A'irginia, 
was chosen jjrcsident of the convention. lie was al)iy supported Ijy 
eminent statesmen from the several commonwealtlis. The convuntion 
was in session from ]\lay until September, 1787. It framed a new Con- 
stitution — the one (with some amendments) under which the llepiibiic 
has ever since been governed. Copies of the instrument were sent to 
the Legislatures of the several States, to be submitted by them to conven- 
tions of delegates chosen by the peoi^le for approval or disapproval. 

!Now came the tug of war. Differences of opinion concerning the new 

* " It is the glory of New York," says Bancioft, " tlmt its Losislaturi' was tlio first to 
imi)art. the sanction of a Slate to tlie groat conception of a Federal Convention to frame a 
constitution for the United States." The chief instrument in bringing about such action 
by tlie Legislature of New York was the then foremost character in the State. General 
Philip S<huyler, assisted by liis son-in-law, Colonel -Vlcxander Haniillon. From the very 
beginning of the discussion of plans for a national goverinnent Schuyler had deprecated 
the essential weakness of the proposed Articles of Confederation, and urged, on all occa- 
sions, the absolute necessity of a strong general government. At length the Continental 
Congress, in May, 1783, considering the desperate condition of the finances of the country, 
appointed delegates to explain the common danger to tlic authorities of all the States. 
Governor Clinton called an extra session of the Slate of New York to receive the delega- 
tion which had httcn sent North. Tliey met at Poughkeepsie in July. Hamilton repaired 
thither and held consultations witli the members of the Legislature, especially with his 
fatlierin law. On motion of Schuyler the Legislature resolved it,self into a Commille<' 
of the Whole on the State of tlie Nation. They adopted a series of resolutions, drafted, 
it is believed, by Hamilton, declaring the necessity for a .stronger national government, 
that should have power to provide itself with a sufficient revenue for the public use. 
The Legislature incited Congress, for the common welfare, " to recommend and each 
State to adopt the measure of a.ssemhling a general convention of the States specially 
authorized to revise and amend the Confederation, reserving the right of the respective 
Legislatures to ratify their determinations." 



POLITKAI. PARTIES IX NEW YOUK. 



33': 



Constitution everywhere prevailed. Radical differences in sentiment 
had been conspicuous in the convention that framed it. The adherents, 
respectively, of the idea of a strong central government and of State 
supremacy were apparently irreconcilably antagonistic. 

Two of the New York delegates — Yates and Lansing — were decidedly 
favorable to the doctrine of State 

supremacy, while Hamilton* as ' "^ ' 

strongly advocated the plan of 
a powerful Federal Government 
wielding supreme authority. Ham- 
ilton's opinions prevailed in the 
convention. Yates and Lansing 
were so dissatisfied with the evi- 
dent sentiment of the convention 
that they withdrew, leaving Ham- 
ilton the sole representative of 
New York in the convention. 

This was the birth-time of tlie 
stalwart twins — the first two op- 
posing political parties in the 
United States — the Federalists 
und the Antl- Federalists. These 
parties were of a more pronounced 
and violent type in New York 
than elsewhere. ILamilton was 

the acknowledged leader of the Federalists, and Governor George Clin- 
ton of the Anti-Federalists. 

On January ITth, 178S, Egbert Benson f offered in the Legislature of 




ALEXANDER HAMILTON. AFTER CARRACI. 



* Alexander Hamilton -was born at Nevis, West Indies, January 11th, 1757. He wa.^ 
of Scotch descent. Educated at King's (now Columbia) College, New Yorii, he engaged 
in the political controversy preceding tlie Revolution ; became a captain of artillery in 
Marcli, 1776 ; a member of Washington's military family in the spring of 1777, and 
served as his secretary and trusted confidant luitil 1781. He was of essential service to 
Wasliingtou. Hamilton married a dauglUer of General Pliilip Schuyler late in 1780. 
He was colonel of a regiment of New York troops at tlie siege of Yorktown, soon after 
wliich he left tlie army, studied law. and soon became eminent in his profession. He 
served as a member of Congress and of tlie New York legislature ; was a member of the 
convention that framed tlie National Constitution, and was one of its chief advocates 
through the press. Washington appointed liim Secretary of the Treasury in 1789, which 
post lie resigned in 1795. When in 1798 war with France seemed probable, he was made 
.second to Washington in command of the armies of the United States. On July 12th, 
1804, Hamilton died of wounds received in a duel with Aaron Burr. 

f Egbert Benson was one of tlie most active and useful men in New York at this time. 



338 TUK KMi'iHi; s'rA'ri:. 

New York a resolution jjrovidiug for a State convention of representa- 
tives chosen by tlie pt'ople to consider tlie new Xational Constitution. 
Tliis resolution elicited much and warm deiiate, but was finally adopte<l 
by both branches of the Legislature. 

From the moment when the new Constitution was publisheil in New 
York sjjirited and somutinies violent contests Ijetween the advocates and 
opposers of the instrument occurred at public gatlierings and in the 
])ublic prints. Acrimoiuous publications ap[)eared in newspajiers and in 
pamphlets during the canvass and the sittings of the convention. On 
the one hand it was urged by the opponents of the proposed Constitution 
tliat by its adoption a fatal blow would be struck at tiie so-called " inde- 
pendent sovereignty" of the States, by the gradual absorption of the 
principal functions of government by the central power ; that the wealth 
and immense resources of New York especially, instead of being devoted 
to the development of its vast territory and possibilities, would be largely 
given to the accumulation of the M'ealth and power of the National 
Government, and that its political influence would be greatly diminished. 
It was argued that the inevitable tendency of such a state of things 
woidd be the cstal)lishment of a virtually monarchical govormnent. 

To these arguments the advocates of the Constitution replied, pointing 
to the provisions of the instrument itself, that the disti'il)ution of the 
powers of the proposed new govermnent M-as so carefully arranged that, 
so far fi-oin enabling it to trench upon tlic jurisdiction of the States, it 
was itself liable to constant and serious cnicroachments on their part, 
and that the existing Confederacy— a mere league of inde[)endent States, 
held together oidy by the common interests of all its members and sub- 
ject to disintegration at the pleasure of any — was wholly inadequate to 
the purpose of a national government. It was at this period that the 
able essays in favor of the Constitution, written by Hamilton, Jay. and 
Madison, known collectively as Tlie Federalixf, were published and 
scattered widely over the Union with powerful effect. 

The sole (piestion which seemed to govern the electors of New York 
in their choice of delegates to their convention seems to have been whether 
the candidates were for or against the adoption of the Constitution. 

He was horn in New York f'ity in 1740: died .U .laniaic;!, L. I., in is:!:!. I U' was a 
most c'tlicicnl nicinhi-r of tin- Hcvolulionary Coniniitlcc of Safety, and was a distiniruishiMl 
jurist, holdini; a Iii^di rank in jurispnidi-nco. He was the first attorney -jreiieral of tlie 
State of New York, and niejuher of the first State Legislature ; a delejrate to tlie old 
Confrress in 17.S4-H8 : a member of C'on.sress, 1789-8:? and 18l:?-l."> : and judge of the 
Supremo Court of New York 1794-1801. He received tliedejiree of LL.D. from Harvard 
and Darlnioulli eolleires, an<l was Ihe first president of the New York Historical Society. 
He wrote a " Vindiealion of Major .\ndrc. " 



(•OXSTITLTIONAL CONVENTION AT POUGHKEEPSIE, 339 

The iiieml)ers of the convention chosen in tlie several counties 
assembled at the court-house in Poughkeepsie on June ITth, 178S, and 
was organized by the choice of (lovernor Clinton for its president, John 
^[cKe.sson and Aljraliani T>. Bancker, secretaries, and Nicholas Power, 
printer to the convention. The convention was composed of sixty-one dele- 
gates,* a clear majority of wlium were opiDOsed to the new Constitution. 

Tlie discussion of the sev- 
eral articles of the Consti- .^^ y/y j ,<:t-i 
tution began on June lOth /[yj^y//^0~^/^ /^^^^'-^X-^^-y'''^' 
and continued three weeks, 

during which time several siaxATruK ok nk imr.As i-oweu. 

amendments were proposed 

and adoj^ted. On July lltli John day moved that •" the Constitution be 
ratified, and that whatever amendments nught be deemed expedient 
should \iQ recommended.'''' 

This motion called out the most vigorous opposition from the Anti- 
Federalists, and the majority of the convention urged the calling of a new 
national convention, for the puiiiose of making additional amendments 
specified by them. They proposed to amend Jay's motion so that it 
slionhl read. " ' that the Constitution be ratified on the condition that certain 
specified amendments should be made." An able and prolonged diseus- 

* Tlif following arc the names of the delegates chosen by the peojile of the several 
counties : 

City <iiid Cixnily of Xiw Tor/:. — John .fiiy, Uichard Morris, .John >?loss Iloljarl. .Vlex- 
aniler Hamilton, Robert R. Livingston, Isaac Roosevelt, James Dnane, Richard Harrison, 
Nicholas Low. 

CJitj/ and Con nty of Albany. — Robert Yates, John*tausing, Jr., Henry Oothont, Peter 
Vroman, Israel Thompson, Anthonj- Ten Eyck, Dirck Swart. 

Comity of Suffolk. — Henry Sciidder. Jonathan N. Havens. John Smith. Thomas Tread- 
well, Daviil Hedges. ^ 

County (f Ulxtti-. — George Clinton, John Caulin<\ Cornelius C. Schooiunakcr, Ebenezcr 
Clark, James Clinton, Direk Wynkoop. 

Comity of Qiiecihi. — Samuel Jones, John Schen<-k, Nathaniel Lawi-ence, Stephen Carman. 

County of Kiiujs. — Peter Lefferts, Peter Vandervoort. 

County of Rt'c/imoncl. — Abraham Baneker, Gosen Rycrss. 

County of iVtstc/ii'ster. — Lewis Morris, Philip Livingston, Rielianl Halliilil, Philip van 
Cortlandt. Thaddcils Crane, Lott W. Sarles. 

County of Orange. — John Haring, .Jes.se Woodliull, Henry Wisner, Jolin AVood. 

County of I)ur^t*i<. — Zephauiah Piatt, Melanethon Smitli. Jacobus Swartwout, 
Jonathan .Vkin, Ezra Thompson, Gilbert Livingston, John De Witt. 

County of irontr/oniiry. — William Harper. Christoplier P. Yates, John Frey, .lolin 
Wiim, Volkert Veeder, Henry Staring. 

CountiiK of Wos/iinfjton and Clinton. — Jchabod Parker, John "Williams, .\ll)ert Baker. 

I copied the above names froni the origin.-d printed Journal of the Convention, in my 
possession. It was printed by Nicholas Power, in (|\i.'U-lo I'orm. 



340 



TlIK K .MI 'IKK STATE. 



■1 





IMP 



1 




1 i f ^^ 



^ 



\ I 



V 



NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVKS IN CONGRESS. 341 

sioii ensued, but before any vote was taken news readied Pon^likeepsie 
that the convention of New Ilanipsliire liad ratified the Constitution. 

Tin's settled tlie question. Tlio people of tiie requisite number of 
States had now spoken in tlie affirmative. The question for the people 
of New York now to decide was not whether they pi'eferred the new 
Constitution to tlie Articles of Confederation, but whether tliey would 
secede from tlie Union. The Anti- Federalists decided wisely and 
patrioticali3\ The Federalists proposed a compromise between Jay's 
proposition and that of their opponents. The latter, not without hesita- 
tion and reluctance, yielded their assent to the following resolution : 

'•'liesolvcd, That tlie Constitution be i-atified, in. full confidence that 
the amendments proposed by this convention will be adopted." 

A most remarkable speech of tliree hours by Alexander Hamilton 
and a patriotic one by Gilbert Livingston, of Duchess, effected the happy 
result. There were fifty-seven members present and voted, thirty of 
tliem for the ratification of the Constitution and twenty-seven against it 
— a majority of three. This decision was taken on July 28tli, and on 
that day the convention finally adjourned. On September 13th Gov- 
ernor C-'linton officially proclaimed the National Constitution as the funda- 
mental law of the Iie]iublic. 

At a special session of the Legislature of New York, l)egun in tiie 
city of New York on December Sth (17SS), they chose delegates to 
rejiresent the State in the concluding session of the Continental Congress. 
They also appointed presidential electors and provided for the election, 
by the people, of six members of Congress. LTnder this provision 
Egbert Benson, William Floyd, John Ilathorn, Jeremiah van Ilensselaer, 
and Peter Sylvester were elected the first representatives of New York 
to .peats in the National Congress under the new Constitution. The two 
Houses of the Legislature could not agree upon a method of choosing 
United States Senators, and none were appointed at tliat session. The 
State remained unrepresented in the National Senate during the first 
session of the first Congress. Finally the Legislature, convened in 
special session, by joint resolution passed on July 19th, appointed 
General Philip Schuyler and Rufus King* Senators. The latter gentle- 
man had only recently become a citizen of the State of New York. 

* Riifus King -n-'as born at Scarborough, Me., in March, 1755, and died at Jamaica, 
L. I., in April, 1827. He -n-as a graduate of Harvard ; became a lawyer ; married the 
daughter of John Alsop, a rich merchant of New York, and ever afterward made tliat 
city his home. Mr. King, like Schuyler, was a leading Federalist. From 1798 to 1804 
he was United States minister at the court of Great Britain. He was again in the Senate, 
for the third time, in 1818. Always an anti-slavery man, he was one of the leaders of the 
opposition to the admis.sion of ^Missouri as a slave-labor State. He; again went to 
Enaland as American minister in 1S25, but soon returned in feeble health. 



342 TlIK KMIMKK STATE. 



CIIAPTEPt XXI\'. 

So soon as the (|iie.stioii8 coiiecruiiig territory, boundaries, f)\vnersliip, 
and government, wliidi liad occupied the minds of the people of New 
York, were settletJ and adjusted, tlie virgin soil and topography of the 
State attracted the attention of enterprising ])eo)>le, and settlements 
began to carry light and civilization into the dark wilderness. 

New political divisions were rapidly organized. In 177<i Albany 
County embraced all of New "i'ork northward of Fister County and west 
of the Hudson Tliver, also all nortli of Duchess County and eastward of 
that river. In 1772 Charlotte and Tryon counties were taken from 
Albany. The name of the former was changed in 1784 to "Washington, 
and that of the latter to Montgomery. A part of Charlotte was included 
in the counties of Cunibei-lund and Gloucester in forming the State of 
Vermont. 

Tryon County included all the ])i-ovince west of a longitudinal lim." 
running nearly through the middle of Schoharie County. lu 17>i'.' 
Ontario County was taken from Montgomery Count}', and included all 
the land of which pre-emptive right had been ceded to the State of 
ilassachusetts. 

No State in the Fm'on presented so wide a range for enterjirise and 
exertion as New York after the war, especially in the industries of 
agriculture and commerce. The borders of its great river were then 
settled with wealthy, industrious, and thriving people. Campaigns 
against the Indians, esjiecially that of Sullivan in 177!', had revealed to 
soldiers of the latter, who were largely New Englanders, the richness of 
the soil of the interior, and they gave glowing at^counts to their friends 
of the beauty ami fertility of the land they had traversed. The purchase 
of great tracts of laud for speculative purposes, already mentioned, 
followed, and set in motion emigration from the east int(f that region. 

The lirst emigrant from New England was Hugh White, of .Middle- 
town, Conn., with his own family and those of four of liis neighbors. 
They seated themselves, at the beginning of 1784, about four miles west 
of (present) Ctica. This settlement was the Hrst rose that blossomed in 
the wilderness of Central ami AVestern New York. The now beautiful 
and thriving borough of Whitestown is of itself a grand monument to 
the memory of its founder, who died there, in 1>;i-2, at the aire of ei'ditv 



EMIGHATIOX TO CENTRAL NEW YORK. 343 

years. Before 1790 scores of families flocked into tliat region, largely 
from New England, and thenceforth emigrant wagons with families, 
implements of labor on farms and for domestic purposes were continually 
can-ying forward population farther and farther into the wilderness of 
Western New York. 

In 1788 Mr. Phelps, one of the purchasers of the six million acres 
tract, penetrated to the country of the Genesee. He and some 
friends went up the Mohawk in boats from Schenectady as far as pos- 
sible, and made their way to the outlet of Canandaigua Lake, where they 
planted the seed of a flourishing settlement by constructing some log- 
huts and making it the business capital of the domain. The Rev. 
iSamnel Kirkland, an earnest missionary laborer among the Oneidas, was 
their interpreter. Gorham procured cessions of lands from the Senecas. 

Li 17'.'1 a party of emigrants constructed a wagon-road from Whites- 
town to Canandaigua, the flrst ever opened from the Mohawk Rivei" to 
the Genesee country. These jiioneers suifered great hardships in the 
performance of their task, for the route lay over lofty hills and deep 
ravines, broad marshes and swift-running streams ; yet they persevered, 
and made a highway for swarms of emigrants from New England, who 
soon made it a beaten jiath. It was soon afterward continued to the 
foot of Lake Eric, at the site of Butfalo. In this Nvork the Government 
did nothing ; private individuals did evei-ything. This highway was the 
flrst work of internal improvement in the State of New York. Others 
of greater importance will be noticed presently. 

AVhen the National Constitution was adopted by the requisite number 
of States the patriotic opponents of the instrument generally acquiesced 
in the decision. Judge Yates, who in the National and State conven- 
tions had strongly opposed it, now, in his first charge to the Grand -Tury 
at Albany after the ratiflcation, said : 

'■ Before the Constitution was ratified I had been opposed to it ; it is 
now mine and every other man's duty to support it." 

But it was not long before party strife became more violent than ever 
throughout the country, especially in the State of New York, where 
party lines were .sharply <lrawn between the luderalidfi and Anti-lU'der- 
al'ixtx. Washington identified himself M'ith the former. The Constitu- 
tion was not all that he could have Avished, yet he regarded its adoption 
as a real blessing to the country. In a letter to CJeneral Schuyler on the 
subject he wrote : 

'■ That invisible Hand which has so often interposed to save our 
country from impending destruction seems in no instance to have been 
more remarkably exerted than in that of disposing tiie people of this 



344 



Tin: r.MriKi: statk. 



continent to adopt, in ;i peaceable manner, a constitution wliidi, if well 
administered, bids fair to make America a bappy nation." 

Tlie clioice of tlie first President of tbe United States under tlie 
National Constitution was done very (piietly, for tliere was no partisan- 
sbip displayed. Tlie eyes and tbe bearts of tbe wbole peojiie were 
instinctively turned toward Wasbingtoii, tbe " Saviour of bis Country," ' as 
tbo fittest man to guide tiie vessel of State, with its precious freigbt, on 







TlfE Cri'Y n.M.I- I.N WAl.l. ^;TliEI•'.T. 1789. 



its Krst necessarily ])erilous voyage. He received every vote in tbe Elec- 
toral College. John Adams was cbo.sen Vice-President. 

The Continental Congress bad decreed that the city of New York 
should be the residence of the Xational Government. The City Hall, 
in "Wall Street, fronting tbe head of Broad Street. Mas fitted up for the 
use of the National Legslature. Mai-cb 4th (ITlMii was the day designated 
for the organization of the new governmciit. That auspicious day was 
ushered in l>y tbe ringing of bells and tbe booming of cannons ; but the 
members of Congress were tardy in their journeys to the capital, owing 
to the wretched state of tlie roads. On the appointed day only a few of 
them were present. It was A])ril (!th before a (juonun was assend)led. 



INAUCilKATIoN OF WASHINGTON. 



;?45 



when the two Houses jiroceedod to cuimt the votes for I'resideiit and 
Vice-President and dechire the result. 

The Vice-Preisident reached New York on April 21st. Tiic President 
arrived two days later. His journey from Mount Vernon had been an 
almost continuous ovation. A committee of Congress met him at Eliza- 
bethtown, N. J., and from its port he was conveyed in a barge to the 
foot of Wall Street, at the East 
Kiver, where he was met by the 

governor, the municipal authori- -^' ' 

ties, and a vast concourse of citi- 
zens, M'ho formed a procession and 
conducted him to the mansion 
in Cherry Street, near Franklin 
Square, prepared for his residence. 
That was then the most fashion- 
al)le ]iart of the city. That even- 
ing the whole town was illumi- 
nated. / 

At noon on April ?>flth- after 
religious services had been held ^ 
in all the churches in the city, 
"Washington left the presidential 
man.sion, escorted by a procession 
formed of members of Congress 

and heads of departments in carriages, led by the City Cavalry, and pro- 
ceeded to the City Hall, where, in its street gallery, in the presence of a 
vast nniltitude of people, the inaugural ceremonies were performed. The 
oath of office was administered by Robert E. Livingston,* the first 
Chancellor of the State of New York. Returning to the Senate Cham- 
ber, the President read his inaugural address, after which the whole 
assembly went on foot to St. PauTs ChajH'l, on r>roadway, where prayers 




ROIiEKT H. LIVIXCSTON. 



* Robort R. Livingston was born in New York City November 27th, 1747 ; died at 
the Livingston Manor-House February 36tli, 1813. He was graduated at King's (now 
Coliunbia) College, became a sueeessful lawyer, and was recorder of the city of New 
York in 1773. He was elected a member of the Continental Congress in 177.5 ; was one 
of the committee to draft tlie Declaration of Independence, but necessary absence from 
Philadeljihia prevented his voting for and signing it. He was appointed the first chan- 
cellor of tlie State of New York, whicli position he held until 1801. He was secretary 
for foreign affairs of the General Government from 1781 to 1783 ; a member of the com- 
mittee that framed the National Constitution ; minister of the United Stales to France in 
1801-1804, and negotiated for the purchase of Louisiana, and was the etlicienl condiutor 
of Robert F\ilton in jierfecting navigation on tlic Hudson River by steam. 



34f. Till-: KMI'IKK STATK. 

were read by the cliiipluin of tlie Senate. Tlien tlie President was 
escorted to his residence. Tlie ceremonies of tlie day were concluded 
by a display of fireworks in the evening;. 

CToneral Schnyler, .lolm .lay, and CJolonel Alexander Hamilton were 
the chief leaders of the Federal Party in New York, and had i^reat iiitiii- 
eiice with President Washini^ton. Schuyler and Hamilton were uncom- 
promising partisans, as all men of strong moral convictions are apt to be, 
and they induced the President to bestow (Tovernment ])atronage upon 
men who were, either person;dly or politically, op|)osed to (iovernor 
Clinton, day was appointed Chief -Fustice of the United States ; James 
Duane, Judge of the District of New York ; Richard Harrison, United 
States Attorney ; and William S. Smith, Marshal. Hamilton, who was 
the sonl of the Federal Party, was called to the Cabinet as Secretary of 
the Treasury. 

The spirit of the Constitution of New York was less democratic than 
that of any other State. It placed an enormous amount of power and 
patronage in the hanrls of the governor. With this ailvantage Clinton 
anti his friends were enableil to curry on a j)olitical warfare with gi-cat 
vigor and success for a very long time ; but the ('onstitutinn atfordeu a 
check upon an undue exercise of that ]iowcr w lien bearing n])on the 
control of offices by the provision of a Council c)f Appointment. That 
Council, as we have observed, was created by the choice of the Assenddy, 
of one Senator eacdi year out of each Senatorial district, and these, with 
the governor, formed the Conncil. The governor had a right to give a 
casting vote, but had no vote for any other purpose. lie was ex- 
officio president of the Council, and was required, " by the advice and 
consent of the Council, to appoint all officers" whose appointment was 
m)t otherwise provided for. 

After the inauguration of Washington jxilitical parties in New York 
became mixed. The Federalists determined to fi)rm a coalition for the 
])urpose of breaking the A nti- Federalist ascendency. They induced the 
Anti- Federalist Judge Yates to accept from them the nomination for 
governor in opposition to Clinton. The coalition was nnsuccessfid. and 
Clinton was re-elected by a strong majority. The election was warndy 
contested. The whole mnnbcr of votes cast in the State was 12,343. 
The census of IT'.m ccrtilicd the number of the ])i>])ulation then in the 
State to be 34n, 120, an increase of more than So.OdO in live years. This 
increase had been caused largely by endgration into the northern and 
western parts of the State. The city of New York then contained a 
jiopulation of 33,131. 

The subject of improving the internal navigatinu (d' the State nt)W 



INLAND NAVKJATIOX OF NEW VOUK CONSIDEKED. 347 

engaged the earnest iittfiition of tliouglitfiil iiiuii. General Seliuyler 
saw, when in England in 1T*>1, the canal constructed by the Duke of 
r>ri(!gewater. lie was deeply impressed with what he saw and heani, 
and as opportunities offered he urged the importance of improving the 
navigation of the Mohawk River by short canals around rifts and 
shallows. lie suggested that by a short canal between the Mohawk and 
Wood Creek, which flows into Oneida Lake, and the improvement of 
the navigation of that stream and the outlet of Oneida Lake into the 
Oswego River, continuous navigation between the Hudson and Lake 
Ontario might be effected. At Schuyler's suggestion. Governor Sir 
Henry Moore presented the subject to the Colonial Legislature in 1768. 

So early as 1772 Christopher Colles * lectured in New York and 
Albany on Iidand Lock Navigation, and warmly advocated Schuyler's 
]>roject. Schuyler also urged the construction of a canal between the 
Hudson and Lake Champlain so early as 1770. In 1784 Colles presented 
a memorial to the Legislature proposing the improvement of the naviga- 
tion of the Mohawk, and that year he penetrated the country to Wood 
Creek, ])ublished an account of his observations in a j)amphlet, and in 
tlie M'inter of 1780 the Legislature nuide a report favoral)le to his project. 
Nothing more seems to have been done. 

At about that time Washington made a tour in the interit)r of the 
State of New York. He was then much interested in the subject of 
internal navigatiiiu in his own State. He passed over Lake George and 
diiwn Lake Ciiamplain as fai' as Crown Point. Returning to Schenec- 
tady, he went up the Mohawk to Fort Schuyler (now Rome), and visited 
Otsego Lake and its vicinity. He observed the feasibility and com- 
mended the importance of inland navigation in the State of New York. 

Soon after this Elkaiuvh Watson appears npon the scene as a most 
larnust advocate of a continuous water eoniniunication between the 



* Christopher Colics was born in Ireland about the year 1737, and was educated by 
liichani Pococke, the Oriental traveller. After the death of his patron, in 17(i5, he eame 
to Ameriea, and, as we have observed, became an earnest advocate of caual naviiiation. 
He was a skilful engineer, lie proposed plans for supplying the city of New York witli 
pure water so early as 1774, In 1797 lie propo.sed to bring the waters of the liron.x 
liiver, in Westchester Couuty, into the city. He constructed a ,series of sectional road 
maps for the use of travellers. His active mind kept his hands busy in a variety of 
<-niployments. .Vt one time he was the actuary of tla; Academy of Fine Arts, lie was 
also a notable inventor, and enjoyed the friendship and esteem of I)c Will Clinton, Dr. 
Samuel L, Mitchell, Dr. Hosack, .Tarvis, llu! painter, and other distinguisiied men of New 
York. The clligy of Colles was borne in the grand procession in New York which cele- 
brated the completion of the Erie Canal. lie had then been in his grave about four years, 
liaving died in llieautinnn of 1821. His remains Vn- unhonored in (he burying-ground 
of tlie Episcni)al Cliurili in Hudson Street. 



348 



THE EMI'IKK STATE. 




k^P 



Hudson Tiivor aiwl Lake Ontario. Tn this projcft lie s|)C'nt iiiucii tinir 
for ycai-s, and was a most cfKcnent supporter of (iuneral Sciiuylcr's canal 
projects. IIo made journeys westward from Ali)aiiy to gatlier up facts, 
and lie ])enetrated the country to Seneca Lake.* 

The final result of the endeavors of these pnlilic-.spirited men was the 
passaf:;e of an act by the Legislature of Xew York, in January, 1792, for 

chartering two inland lock naviga- 
tion companies. One Avas called 
the Western Inland Lock Naviga- 
tion Company, and the other the 
Xorthern Inland Lock Navigation 
Company. These companies were 
formed, and General Schuyler was 
nnanimously chusen president of 
each company. Thomas Eddy, an 
enter])rising (Quaker, was a])pointe(l 
treasurer of the Western Company. 
Accompanied liy CJoldshrow Baii- 
yer and Elkanah Watson and sur- 
veyors and engineei's, Schuyler 
made a thorough exploration of the 
whole route for the western enter- 
prise, from Schenectady to the 
waters of Lakes Seneca and Onta- 
rio, in August and SeptcHii)er, 1 T'.'2. They also explored the route 
for the northern canal, from the head of tide-water of the Hudson, 
just above Albany, to the liead of Lake Champlain, at (present) White- 
hall. These explorations were satisfactory to both companies, and in the 
spring of 1793 the Western Company 1)egan work at the Little Falls, 
in Herkimer Coiintv, Mith artiticers and about three hundred laborers. 



^ 




'O 



ft 
V 



EI.KANAII WATSOS. 



* Elkanah Watson was born at Plymouth, Mass., in January, 1758, and died at Port 
Kent. Essex County, X. Y., in December, 1842. He was a clerk in the employ of .lolin 
Brown, of Providence, H. I., wlio sent him to Boston with a large amount of jwwder for 
the patriot army besieiiim; it in 177o. Before he was nineteen years of ajie Brown .sent 
him to Charleston and other Southern ports with ^.")(),(M)0, to buy carjioes for the Euro- 
pean markets. At the age of twenty-one Congress sent despatehes by him to Dr. 
Franklin, in Paris. lie remaineil in France until 1784, engaged in a commission business 
at Nantes in connection with .Mr. Brown. He went to Albany in 178!), and became 
greatly interested in General Schuyler's canal projects. He afterward travelled in Europe, 
and in 1807 settled at Pittstic'ld, Ma.ss., as a farmer, and made many improvements in 
agriculture, .\fter a visit to the lake region in the North-west he .settled at Port Kent, 
on the west side of Lake Champlain, where he resided until his death. Ilis autobiog- 
raphy was completed and published by his .son. Wiiislow C. Watson, in 1850. 



COXSTKrCTIOX OF CANALS IX NEW YORK. 349 

Tlie Xortlieni Company began work at Stillwater the same year. Delays 
followed, chiefly on account of a want of funds, and yet so vigorously 
(lid the president and his associates, especially Mr. Watson, push on the 
work when means were at command, that boats of sixteen tons burden 
passed over the whole route, from Selienectady to Oneida Lake, iu ITiX!, 
without interruption. There were only about six miles of canallirig 
altogether. 

Unfortunately, the locks in tlie canals had been constructed of wood, 
and were too perishable. William Weston, a distinguished canal 
engineer, came to this country from England early in '1705. He was 
employed to examine the whole work of the companies with General 
Schuyler, and the result was an order for him to reconstruct the locks of 
stone. Tliis operation exhausted the funds of the company. 

In 1793 Isambert Brunei, a distinguished French engineer, arrived 
with a letter of introduction to General Schuyler. He was employed in 
17!>-t in a survey of the jSTorthern or Champlain Canal. That was 
almost fifty years before he completed the famous tunnel under the 
Thames, at London, and received the honors of knighthood from the then 
young Queen of England. 

In 1790 Mr. Weston, imder the direction of the Western Company, 
made an exjiloratiim of a route for a canal between the Mohawk and 
Seneca rivers. A canal was speedily constructed, and liecanie the living 
germ of the grand Erie Canal %yliich was afterward built bj' the State. 
It led Gouverneur Morris, in ISttl, to conceive the greatest of canal 
]>roj('cts — namely, the connection of Lake Erie with the Hudson by an 
artiticial river, a work that was completed a little more than twenty years 
aft(n'ward. This great work will receive special notice presently. 

The interest of General Schuyler in canal navigation never flagged 
during his life. So late as the summer of 1S(I2, when he was almost 
sixty-nine years of age, he endured the hardships incident to an explora- 
tion of the whole line of the Western Canal route, and gave his personal 
attention to the construction of new locks, repairing old ones, and 
lemoving obstructions. His manuscript journal kept during that explo- 
ration is before me, and is filled with vivid pictures of tlie labors and 
jn-ivations which he then endured. To General Schuyler is undoubtedly 
due the honor of the paternity of the canal system of New York, which 
contributed so much to its prosperity. 

Immediately after the war for iiulependence the city of New York — 
the commercial metropolis of the State — began the task of I'ecuperation. 
Fire had consumed a vast number of its dwellings ; its churches had 
been desecrated and laid waste ; its commerce had been destroyed bj' 



350 



THE EMl'lUi: SIATK. 




tlio war, and its people had been estranged from cacli otlior liy diffur- 
ciiees in political ()])iMions. Now York was compelled to l)Ufjiii life 
anew, as it were. TIks tril)iite which it paid to the cause of human 
freedom was large, Imt had heen most freely and cheerfully given. 

The Whig refugees ruturiieil to the city, niany of them to find their 
dwellings in ruins. The old ehartw' was resumed, and municipal govern- 
ment was soon re-established. In I'cliruary, 17S4, James Duane,* an 

ardent AV^ln'g, was chosen mayor. 
.,- •- lie had found his dwelling on 

his farm, near (present) (Tfamercy 
Park, in ashes and his fortune 
wrecked. Although the vitality of 
the city had been paralyzed, yet 
men — '' higli-minded men"' who 
"constitute a tState," were left, 
and their intluenee was soon mani- 
fested in the visible aspects of pub- 
lic spirit and tlie revival of com- 
merce. Ihit not much was done 
in the way of public, improvements 
before the clo.se of the century. 

One hundred years ago there 
was only here and there a house 
above ^Turray Street on the west 
side of the city of New York, and 
above Chatham Square; on the east side. Not a bank or insurance company 
existed in the city. Wall Street was the seat of wealth, elegance, and 
fashion. Its dwellings were chieHy of wood and roofed with shingles, 
and the sides of many of them were of the same materials. Between 
Broadway and the Hudson River above Reade Street might be seen 
scores of cows belonging to the citizens grazing in the fields. In 170i> 
the first sidewalks in the city were laid on each side of Broadway, 

* James Diiaiu". was Ixirn in New York City in February, 1733. He inherited ii larjrc 
estate in the lower Mohawk region, and began a settlement tliere in 1765. Duanesbur^^ 
wa.s the i)rodiiet. He married a daugliter of Colonel Hol>ert Livingston. A memlH-r of 
the tii-st Continental Congress, he was an active patriot all llirough the war that ensiieil. 
lie was residing in New York City ill the brc'.-iking ont of the war : left il when the 
Hritish took possession of it, Init returned inimcdiiitely after the Hritish evaeual<'d it. lb' 
was made tlie first mayor under the new order of things. lie was a membir of th<- 
State Coimei! of Appointment .-uid of the Senate, also of the convention that ralitied the 
National Constitution. He was Vnited States District .Judge from 17(<9 to 1794. .Judge 
Duane <lied at Duanesburg in February, 1797. 



I.VMKS r)r.\NK. 



FEDERAL CKI.EBHATIOX IN NKW YOKIC. 



351 



l)et\veoii Vesey and Murray streets. They were of stone ami lirick, and 
60 narrow tliat only two persons might walk abreast. 

Tlie city was the seat of tlio National Government from 1785 until 
1790, when it was transferred to Philadc'lj>liia. During tlie session of 
the State Convention at I'oughkeepsie in the summer of 1788 the city 
was much excited by the discussions of opposing factions. Congress 
was then in session at New York. On July 8th, eighteen days before 
the Constitution was ratified, its ardent friends in New York, feeling 
confident of success, fitted \\]> a little frigate on wheels, and called it 




jMit^J^i^Mim^. 



TAHI.KS AT Till'-. FKllEltAI. DINNKK. 



the Federal Ship ILn/u'/fon. It was conininmled by Connnodore 
Nicholson and manned liy thirty seamen and mariners. Accompanied 
by a great procession, it was drawn by ten horses from the Bowling Green 
to Bayard's Farm, near Grand Street and the Bowery, where tables were 
spread and dinner was provided for four or five thousand people. At a 
circular table, which was a little elevated, were seated niend)ers of 
Congress, heads of departments, foreign representatives, and other dis- 
tinguished persons. From this table thirteen other taldes diverged, at 
which sat the multitude. 



352 'II IK KMFIHE STATi:. 

All Anti-Federal iie\vs[)ai)er (Greenleaf's Patriutic lieglster) lam- 
pooned the profession and its promoters. The Federalists were j^reatiy 
irritated, and wiieii the Constitution M'as ratitied a inoli broke into the 
office of the offending newspaper and destroyed the press and types. 
They then attacked tlie house of General Lamb, the Collector of tiic 
Port,* in Wall Street. He had been forewarned, and was forearmed. 
He had barricaded the lower story of his house, and with two or three 
fri'Mids with muskets, in the second story, and iiis daughter, a young lady 
from Connecticut, and a colored servant in the attic well supplied with 
tiles and glass bottles to sliower on tiie heads of the rioters, they so well 
defended the castle that tiie a.ssuilauts were compt'lluil to raise the siege 
and retire discomfited. 

The city of New York was several times scourged by yellow-fever. It 
appeared there in 1742, but its most frightful ravages occurred during 
the closing decade of the last century. It broke out in 1701, but it was 
so late in the season that frosts soon checked it. In 1795 it slew 77ii 
pereons. Its most fearful visit was in 1798, when it raged from July 
until November, and killed 2100 persons in the city and 300 residents 
who had lied from it. In 1799 and ISDO this plague prevailed, 1)ut in a 
mild form ; but in 1S03 the disease slew about 000 pei"sons. When it 
again broke out in 1805 witli much violence, so great was tlie panic that 
one third of the population, then numbering 75,000, fled to the country. 

The city was almost entirely exempted from this dreadful scom-go 
from 1803 until IS 19. when yellow-fever raged there to a considerable 
extent. It again appeared in 1822 and 1823, but in a comparatively 
mild form. Since the latter year only sporadic ciises have been known. 
It lias never appeared in the form of an epidemic. Tills disease never 
originates or scarcely over exists north of the latitude of ihe city of New 
York, uidess the seeds of the malady sliall l)e carried by fugitives from 
the plague in lower latitudes. 



* A part of Lamb'.s residence wiis used for the Custom Iloiise, the business of the pint 
of New York not then being extensive enough to need the spaee or warrant the exiM-nse 
of a separate building. 



THE FKDEHALISTS AND HEPUBLICANS. 353 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Gkorgk Clinton, the Tlepublicaii governor, was re-elected in the 
spring of 1792, witli Pierre van Cortland as lieutenant-governor. The 
opposing candidates were John Jay and Stephen van Rensselaer, the 
latter a son-in-law of General Selniyler and the last of the patroons. In 
the autumn of the same year presidential electors were chosen, and 
Washington was re-elected hy the unanimous vote of the Electoral 
College. 

The dividing line between the two great political parties —Federalists 
and Republicans — ^was now more distinctly drawn than ever, owing to 
the influence of the French Revolution. When that great movement 
l)egan, and until it had progressed some time, there was only one feeling 
among Americans in regard to it, and that was earnest sympathy for 
tlieir old ally. But when the movement fell under the control of violent 
demagogues, and conservative men like Lafayette were driven from tlieir 
country ; when the civilized world was shocked by the terrible excesses 
of the Jacol)ins, many of the leaders of opinion in America paused. 
Apprehending that the intrigues of the French and the generous sym- 
pathy of the Americans might involve the young Republic in a European 
war, they not only withdrew their sympatiiies, but soon went so far as 
to denounce the original revolution. These were chiefly Federalists. 

The Repul)licans, on the other hand, advocated the French Revolution 
with great warmth, hailing its authors and promoters as friends and 
l>rotliers. Tiiey wrongly charged the Federalists with hostility to the 
]Miiu-iples of the French Revolution, with friendship for their late 
enemy. Great Britain, and even with anti-republican and monarchical 
tendencies. This antagonism of opinion grew more and more intense 
when, in the spring of 1793, £. C. Genet — " Citizen'' Genet, as he was 
styled — arrived in this country as the representative of the French 
Republic. 

Mr. Jefferson, a member of Washington's Cabinet as Secretary of 
State, was in France when the revolution there broke out, and he had 
come home filled with admiration and love for the cause, which had not 
then been stained b}' the outrages of the Jacobins. He expected to find 
equal enthusiasm among his countrymen ; but when he reached New 
York he was chilled bv the frigiditv which he encountered. He was 



354 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



cordially received by the wealthier and more refined classes of society at 
New York, but these were composed largely of members of the old Tory 
families, whose opinions, frankly spoken, often shocked him. He 
became painfully sensitive, and he soon regarded the conservatism of 
"Washington, Adams, Hamilton, and otiier conspicuous Federalists as 
evidence of their nnfaitlifuhu'ss to the cause for which they had so zeal- 
ously contended. Toward Ham- 
ilton lie indidged positive dislike, 
and considered him a dangerous 
citizen. 

By common consent ilr. Jef- 
ferson became the leader of the 
rapidly growing Republican Party, 
which hailed with enthusiasm the 
tidings of the death of the French 
King, the ])roclamation of the 
Republic with all its horrors, 
the virtual declaration of war by 
France against all monarchical 
Europe, and its actual c-outpicst of 
a part of the Netherlands, a friend 
of the United States. Perceiving 
the danger with which sucii blind 
enthusiasm menaced the Repub- 
lic, Washington issued a proclama- 
tion of neutrality in the spring of 1793. It was bitterly denounced by 
the French Party, as the Republicans were now called. 

It was in the midst of this excitement in the public miiul that Citizen 
Genet arrived* at Charleston, S. C, and in defiance of the proclama- 
tion, proceeded to fit out privateers (which were manned chiefiy by 
American citizens) to prey upon British commerce in our w^aters. One 

* Edniuiiil Charks Gcni't was born at Versailles, France, in January, 17C3, and ilieil 
at Greenbush, opposite Albany, N. Y., in .Inly, IXM. lie was a i)recoeious lad, who 
early developed a taste and talent for literature, like his notable sister, Madame Campan. 
He was attached to foreijrn embi».ssies in hi.s youth, and had been trained in the arts of 
diplomacy before he came to America. As will be observed in the test, Ills conduct as 
representative of the French revolutionists became very obnoxious to our Government. 
Such changes took place in France that Genet dared not return. He remained in Xew 
York, and married the danshler of Governor Georjro Clinton, and Iwcame one of the 
best citizens of the conimonweallh. He was twice married, his .second wife being the 
daughter of Mr. Osgood, the first Postma-sterGeneral under the Xalionat C'(mslltulion. 
Fond of agriculture, he took great interest in its ])ursuit. His last illness was occiisioued 
by attendance at a meeting of an agricidlural society of which he was president. 




EDMUND C. OENET. 



THE MADXESS OF PARTISANSHIP. 355 

of these — L' Amhu-wadt' — tlie fria;ate that broui'lit the minister to our 
shores, went prowling up tlie coast, seizing EugHsli vessels, and pro- 
ceeded to Philadelphia, bearing at her masthead and elsewhere liberty- 
caps. She was greeted by a multitude of citizens witli " peal>; of exulta- 
tion,"' Jefferson wrote to Madison. Genet soon followed. He had 
received everywhere on his land journey demonstrations of delight. 
He M'as met at the Schuylkill liy a crowd of citizens and escorted into 
Philadel])hia, where he was entertained at a public banquet by his 
liepublican friends before he had presented his credentials to the Presi- 
dent of the ITnited States ! He had changed the name of L' A inhuscade 
to Little Democrat, in French, and from that time the Ile]iublicans were 
called '' ])eniocrats' ' in derision.* 

Genet bore secret instructions from his Government to foment discord 
between Great P>ritain and the United States, and to set the American 
Government at defiance, if necessary, to accomplish his purpose ; and 
yet when he presented his credentials to the President he uttered the 
most vehement protestations of the peaceful and friendly intentions of 
the French Republic. " Xothing," wrote Jefferson, "could be more 
affectionate, more magnanimous than the purport of Genet's mission. 
. . . He offers everything and asks nothing." But when Genet left 
the presence of Washington the minister's pride was touched and his 
hopeful ardor was chilled. He had found himself in an atmosphere of 
the most profound dignity in that presence, and he was made to realize 

* Madness appears to have seized some of the staid citizens of Philadelphia at that 
inoraeut. The sympathizers with tlie French revolutionists at that banquet (May 2:W, 1793) 
presented some strange scenes. GJovernor Mifflin was among the guests. The chief 
music was the air of the "Marseillaise." A Liberty Tree crowned the table. The 
flags of the two nations were fraternally enfolded. A red cap of liberty was tirst placed 
on the head of Genet and then upon the head of each guest, who. while it rested there, 
uttered some patriotic sentiment. A roasted pig on the table received the name of the 
nnu-dered King of the French. The head of the pig was severed from the body and 
carried round to each guest, who, after placing the liberty-cap on his head, pronounced 
the word "tyrant," and proceeded to mangle with his knife the head of the luckless 
porker ! Earlier than this, at a public dinner in Pliiladelpbia to celebrate the alliance 
with France (February 6tli, 1TT8), a pike at the head of the table bore u|)on its point a 
bonnet roiuje entwined with the flags of the two nations. 

There was a strange political demonstration at Boston a few days earlier. An o.x was 
roasted whole, decorated with ribbons, and Irarne in a procession through the streets on 
a car drawn by si.vteen horses, followed by carts carrying sixteen hundred loaves of bread 
and two hogsheads of punch, which were distributed among the people. Three hundred 
citizens, with Samuel Adams at their head, sat down to a banquet. The children of all 
the schools were paraded in the streets, to whom cakes were presented bearing the 
stamped words. Liberty (mil Equality. 

The citizens of Xew^ York did not indulge in such cxlrnvagances at that time. 



356 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

liis own littleness while standing beforo tliat noble representative of the 
best men and soundest principles of the American Republic. He with- 
drew from the audience abashed and subdued. lie had heard sentiments 
of sincere regard for the French nation that touched the sensibilities of 
his heart, and he had felt in the genuine courtesy and severe simplicitv 
and frankness of the President's manner, wholly free from effervescent 
enthusiasm, a witliering rebuke, not only of the adulation in ])ublic 
places, but also c>f liis omu ])retentious aspirations and ungenerous 
duplicity. He had already been rebuked by the action of more than 
three hundred merchants and other substantial men in Pliiladeljiliia, 
who on the day <if his arrival had signed and presented to President 
AVasJiiiigton an addivss exjux'ssing tlieir unswerving loyalty to the letter 
and spirit of his proclamation of neutrality. 

The Republicans were irrepressible. In their infatuation they formed 
Democratic societies in various cities, in imitation of the Jacobin 
cluijs of Paris. Their operations were in secret, and their proceedings 
were often extremely disloyal. In servile imitation of tlieir prototypes, 
they adopted the peculiar phrases of the populace of Paris, and a power- 
ful faction was soon visible in tiie Fnited States more French than 
American in their habits of thought and political principles. 

The Government went straight forward in the performance of its 
duty, satisfied that it would be sustained by the great mass of the 
American people. IJritish vessels 'captured by privateers were restored 
to their owners ; American citizens acting as privateers were prosecuted ; 
collectors at ports of the T^nited States were ordered to seize all priva- 
teers that entered them ; Ciiiuf Justice Jay declared it to be the duty of 
all Grand Juries to present for trial persons engaged in sucli violation of 
the laws of nations : and tlie privateers v,-ere ordered to leave American 
waters forthwitli. 

Genet and bis American partisans were greatly irritated. Encouraged 
by the disloyal faction, Genet vehemently protested against the acts 
of the Government, and even threatened to " appeal from the Presi- 
dent to the people'" — in other words, to incite an insurrection. He 
actually began to fit out a privateer at Philadelphia, when Governor 
Mitiiin, though a liepubliean, threatened to seize the vessel if he per- 
sisted. Je(ferson soon found his French friend exceedingly troublesome. 
He begged him to pause in liis outrageous career. Tiie minister refused 
to listen, and raved like a madman. Jefferson, disgusted with his con- 
duct, joined 'Washington in re(juesting the French Government to recall 
their obnoxious representative. Genet went to New York, where he 
was received with more enthusiasm, if possible, than at Philadelphia. 



CITIZEN GEXET IX XEW YORK. 357 

lie WcOS welcomed by ringing of bells and salvos of cannon tired in honor 
of the success of the Republicans of France. A great meeting had been 
lield in the Fields (now City Hall Park), at which a committee of forty 
had been ap.pointed to meet liini at Paulas Hook (Jersey City) and 
escort him into the town. The Federalists, supported by the Chamber 
of Connnerce, held counter meetings, denounced CTcnet's conduct, and 
■warmly endorsed the Proclamation of Xeutrality. 

The Republican newspapers in Xew York had zealously espoused the 
Frencli cause, and the minister was/iVrfZ and caressed to his heart's con- 
tent. The liberty-cap was raised upon the flag-staff at the Tontine 
Cotfee-IIouse ; tri-colored cockades were worn by many citizens ; the 
Marseillaise Ilyinn was chanted and the cnrnuujnole'-'' was performed in 
the streets. For a time Xew York seemed transformed into a French 
city.f 

Genet was recalled. A political change had taken place in France. 
He was of the Girondist or more moderate faction, who nded when lie 
came here. They had fallen, and the Jacobins were conducting the 
dreadful Reign of Terror. He dared not return, so lie married a 
daughter of Governor Clinton, and remained in the State of New York. 

During the' Reign of Terror in France an immense number of its 
wealthier and more refined jjopulation fled to other countries. America 
became the favorite refuge for these emigres, and the city of New York 



* A dance, witli sinsrinp;, performed in the streets of Paris during the Revohition. 
f At a meetinir of the Democratic Society in Xew York the following song, com- 
])osi il In- Thelwall, an English Radical, was sung to the air of " God Save the King :" 



■' God save the Guillotine ! 
Till England's King and Queen 

His power shall prove ; 
Till each anointed knob 
Affords a clipping job, 
Let no rude halter rob 

The Guillotine. 

"France, let thy truni])et sonml— 
Tell all the world around 

How Capet fell ; 
And when Great George's poll 
Shall in the basket roll. 
Let mercy then control 

The Guillotine. 

' When all the sceptred crew 
Have paid their homage due 

The Gullotine, 
Let Freedom's flag advance 
Till all the world, like France. 
O'er tyrants' grave.'^ shall dance 

And peace begin !" 



358 Tin; KMl'IKK STATi:. 

■\v;is their princij^ul resort. Tliuy producutl a seiisildc effect upon society 
there. French fashions, French furniture, Frencii luiiuners and customs, 
and the French language became prevalent. Even when the emigrants 
M'ere jierniitted to return home after the downfall of Robespierre and 
they had left this country, their inHuence continued to be felt in social 
life in New York for many years. 

The disloyalty and insubordination of the Republican faction, inaugu- 
rated by the official acts of (ienet, were conspicuously manifested the 
following year in the event known in our history as " The Whiskey 
Insurrection ;" and the violence of political antagonisms was as conspic- 
uously displayed in 17fi5, when the provisions of a treaty with Great 
Ihitain, which Mr. Jay had negotiated, were made known. That treaty 
was the result of an attempt on the part of the President to avert the 
<'alamities of war with (Treat Britain, which circuinstaiioes seemed to be 
engendering. The British Government hail failed in cDUiplying with 
the treaty of peace of ITS-"), in giving up forts in the western country' 
and in other matters. This event, on one side, and the hostile attitude 
toward Great Britain and i)artiality for France of the Republicans, on 
the other side, so menaced the peace between the two nations that 
Washington sent Jay on the righteous errand to secure trampiillit}' and 
justice. The Republicans opposed the mission as a cringing to Great 
Britain and an affront to France, and when it was known that the treaty 
had not secured all that the United States demanded, and especiall}' that 
it bound our Government to a strict neutrality in all wars between Great 
Britain and otlier nations (the spirit of the proclamation of neutrality), 
there was a burst of indignation from the opposition which knew no 
bounds for a while. They used the most strenuous efforts to induce the 
President and Senate to refuse their ratification t)f the treaty. 

Tlie first public demonstration in that direction was made in Boston. 
An anonymous handl)ill was distributed throughout New York, calling 
on the citizens to meet in front of the City Hall, in Wall Street, on July 
18th (1795), to join the Bostonians in c.\])ressing their opposition to the 
treaty. The meeting assembled. Aaron Burr, Chancellor Livingston, 
and Brockholst Livingston (the latter a brother-in-law of Jay, who had 
joined the Republican Party) were leadei*s of the op])osition. The 
Federalists had gathered there in full force, and were led b}' Alexander 
Hamilton and Richard Yarick.* They succeeded in electing a chairman 

* TJivIiard Varick was a descendant f)f one of the earlier Diitcli settlers of New York. 
He was horn in llackensack. X. .1.. in 1T.">:{. and died in New York City in .July. IHIil. 
Wlien the war for independence broke out he was a younji lawyer in Xew York. He 
entered the militarv service, and was General Schuvler's niililarv .secretary until after the 



JAYS TREATY. 



369 



from among tlieir mimlier, and tlien proposed to adjourn. Tlie Repub- 
licans objected. Tlien it was moved tliat the disposition of the treaty 
be left to the President and Senate. The f]uestion being taken, botli 
sides claimed the majority, when a scene of violence ensued. Hamilton, 
standing upon the elevated " stoop" of a Dutch liouse on the corner 
of Wall and Broad streets, attempted to speak in defence of the treaty, 
when lie was stoned, dragged to the ground by tlie Republicans, and 
roughly handled in the street. A 
motion was made to appoint a 
committee of fifteen to report 
three days later. It was pro- 
nounced carried. Tlien the tumult 
increased. Some jierson in the 
crowd shouted : 

" All you who agree to adjourn 
to Bowling Green and burn the 
British treaty will say Aye."' 

There was a tremendous affirma- 
tive response, and the excited o]>- 
position ran, shouting, to the 
Bowling Green, where a copy of 
the treaty was burned beneatli the 
entwined folds of the American 
and French flags, while the car- 

inagiiole was performed. At the adjourned meeting, on the 21st, attended 
mostly by Repul)licans, a series of resolutions was adopted condemnatory 
of the treaty. The next day the Chamber of Conmierce adopted counter 
resohitions. 

Mr. Jay was violently abused. He was denounced as a " traitor who 
liad sold liis country for British gold." In Charleston the populace 
trailed the British flag in the dust and burned it at the door of the British 
con.sul. Some of the more violent Republicans longed for the guil- 
lotine, while leaders in Virginia, ever ready with the panacea of dh- 

.surrcndcr of Burgoyiie. He was inspector-geniTal at AVt'st Point until after tlie treason 
of Arnold, when he became a member of "Washington's military family, and was his 
recording secretary until the close of the war. After the British evacuated the city of 
New York, in November, 1783, he was appointed recorder of that municipality, and held 
llie ofHce until 1789, when he hecame attorney-general of the State, and subsequently 
mayor of the city, which position he held until 1801, He had been associated with 
Samuel Jones in making a revision of the laws of the State (1786-88). In 1787 he was 
speaker of the Assembly, Colonel Varick was one of the founders of the American Bible 
Sccietv and one of its most cflicient members. 




lilCIIAIil) VAIIK'K. 



360 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

luiion, offered their prescription in vehement lanjjuage. The treaty was 
rati tied in August, anil tiio elfervescence of ]»assion soon ceased. 

These tnrl)nlent events in New York and elsewhere, and the snpport 
given them by the secret Democratic societies, caused Washington to 
dcnonnce secret associations as (hingcrous to the j)iil)lic welfare. Tiie 
Tammany Society, or Coliiniliian Order, which had been formed at the 
l)eginning of his administration as a patriotic and benevolent institution, 
regarding itself as pointed at, and being largely composed of Repuldicans, 
or Democrats, was transformed into a political organization in opposition 
to the Federalists. It still exists, and plaj's an iin[)oi'tatit part in the 
politics of the State of New York.* 

In his message to the Legislature, which convened at Ponghkeepsie on 
January 6th, 1795, Governor Clinton reminded that body that while 
liberal provisions had been made for the endowment of colleges and 
other higher seminaries of learning, no legislative aid had yet been given 
to common schools. lie recommended that provisions be made for 
their encouragement and improvement. This was the first official move- 
ment in the State of New York for extending the fostering care of the 

* Tlio Tammany Sooiety, or Columbian Oriler, was formi-d chiefly throusli the exertions 
of William Mooney. an uiiholsterer in the city of New York, in Jl.iy. 1789. Its tirst 
meeting was held on the VM\\ of tliat month, a fortnii;ht after the inauL^uration of Wash- 
ington. It took its name from a great ami good Delaware chief, who was suiiposeil to 
have been one of those who made the famous treaty with \Villiam Penn. He was revere<l 
by the Delawares, and the early settlers called him " Saint Tammany," or Tameuantl. 
He " loved liberty better than life," it w'as asserted, and the new soeietj' professed the 
.same. The officers consisted of a grand sachem and thirteen inferior .sachems, represent- 
ing the President and the governors of the thirteen Slates in the Union. There was also 
a grand council, of which the sachems were members. It was patriotic in its influence 
and very popular, and its membership comprised many of the best men of Xcw Yiirk. 
For reasons given in the text. >Iooney and others adhered to the organization, but look 
part with .Jetterson and the Democratic Party. They first met as a political organization 
at Martling's Long Room, at the .south-cast corner of Xa.s.sau and Spruce streets. 
They built a wigwam on the spot. The corner-stone of the hall wa.s laid in -May, 
1811, and the building was completed the following year. The venerable Jacob Barker, 
who died in Philadelphia in 1871, at the age of ninety-two years, was the last survivor of 
the building conunittee. Tlie certificate of membership of the reorganized Tammany 
Society bore a device of an arch composed of two cornucopias ; the supports, resting upon 
a solid stone arch composed of eighteen blocks, represented the seventeen States and one 
Territory then in the Union, that of Pennsylvania forming the keystone. Under the 
cornucoi)ia arch are the words : 

■' Civil Liberty the Glory of yV.m. This Shewcth a Link of that Bright and La.sting 
Cn.MN of Patriotic Friendship which binds together 

The Sons of Tammany." 
Then follows tlie certificate, with the seal and signatures of the grand sachem, s;igamore, 
and .sentrv. 



THE COiLMUN-SCIlOOL SYSTEJI. 361 

commonwealth to tliese most important institutions — far more important 
to the welfare of the commonwealth than colleges and universities. 
The Legislature heeded the recommendation of the governor, and at 
that session passed a law appropriating annually for five years §50,000, 
and directed the specific sums to be paid by the State treasurer to each 
county. The act provided that the supervisors of the several counties 
siiould apportion the money among the respective towns, and a sum 
equal to one half the sum received from the State by the several towns 
was recpiired to be raised I)y a tax in such towns and added to the bounty 
of the State. The sum thus made up was to be distril)uted in each 
school district, under the direction of the town commissioners. 

A Literature Fund was created Ijy tlie operation of an act passed in 
April, 1801, whicii authorized four lotteries, for the purpose of raising 
$100,000 for tiio joint benefit of colleges, academies, and common 
schools, but chiefly for the latter. This fund has been increased from 
various sources from time to time. It was managed by the regents of 
the University until 1832, when it was transferred to the comptroller for 
investment, the Legislature appropriating the proceeds annually. 

The State of New York has been and continues to be very liberal in 
its provisions for popular education. Daring the closing year of the 
first century of the Republic (1875) the expenditure from the public 
treasury of the State for educational purposes amounted to about 
Sll, 364,(1(10, of which amount about $2,960,000 were the proceeds of a 
direct tax of 1^ mills for connnon schools.* 

* There was no general system of primary edueatiou in the State of New York before 
the Kcyohitionary ^Var. The scliools were chiefly of a private character, and eihieatiou 
was confincil largely to the wealthier classes. In 17^9 an act was passed appropriating 
certain portions of the public lands for gospel and school purposes. The regents of the 
University in 1793 recommended the establishment of a general system of common 
.schools, and this led to the recommendation of Governor Clinton in his message mentioned 
in the text. In the spring of 1801 Judge Peck, of Otsego County, then a memlwr of the 
Legislature, introduced a bill which by its provisions created the Literature Fund 
mentioned in the text. 

The great benefits of the common-school .S3"stem were immediately apparent, and 
successive governors recommended the passage of new laws for tlie encouragement and 
.siipport of common .schools. Nothing definite was accomplished until ISll. when five 
commissioners were appointed to report a complete system for the organization and estab- 
lishment of common schools. In 1812 the Legislature passetl a bill in accordance with 
their report, under which Gideon Hawley was appointed State Suiieriutendentof Connnon 
Schools. The office was abolished in 1821, and his duties were a.ssigned to the department 
of the Secretary of State. In 1835 teachers' departments in aciidemies, one in each sena- 
torial district — a sort of normal school — were authorized. In 1838 the school district 
library system was established, and in 1841 the office of deputy superintendent was 
created — in other words, county superintendent; and in 1843 the Board of Town 



'M>-i Tin; K.MiMiu; st.vtk. 

Till' lioanl of lu>i;iMits of tlio Stsito of New \'ork ulliidod to was estah- 
lislifil ill 1TS4, wlu'ii tilt' iiiiiiii' of Iviiiu's Colk-j^c was cliaii^etl to (-o- 
liiiiiMa Colli'iji', and tliat in^Iilutioll was t^i l)c made llic <'ciitiT <d' a 
(levisLMl t'Nti'iisivc system of rdm-aiioii. Suliordiiiatc lii-aiii'lics wero to 
he ostalilishi'd in dilTerciit parts of tin- State, tlie wlioic to In- under tlie 
C'onti'ol of tlie rej;;ents. The hoard was to lie eoiiiposed of tlie iii'iiu'i|ial 
State ollieeiv- two persons from eacli eoniity, and one cliosen liy oacli 
relii^iciiis denomination. Tlie iinmher of tlie rei^ents was afterward 
ineroascd 1)V iiddinfr tliirty-tliroo otliors, twenty of whom were to reside 
ill the city of Mew ^(ll•k. The autiioishii) of this selieme is attrihutod 
to Alexander Hamilton, then in the .Vssemhly, assisted hy Ezra 
l/lloiiiniedieii,* then in the Senate. It was foiiinl to lie imi)raetical>le, 
and li\' an act |)a.ssod in iVpril, ITsT, it was siipei^seded l>y a sy.stem wliiidi 
has eontiiiiied, with slijjlit inoditieations. until the ]iresent time. The 
ollieeis of the hoard are a ehaiieellor, viee-elianeellor, and seeretary. 
Tlioy liavo the <!;eiieral siiporvisioii of all the ediieatioiial institutions 
of the State and the distrihutioii of a portion of the Literature Fund. 
They appoint the lihrariaii and assistants <>( the State Lihrary and 
a curator of the State (Jal)iiiet. Six nuMiihei's form a iiiiorum for the 
transaction of hiisiness. 

liotli (loNi'rnor Cliiiloii and i.ieiileiiaiil -( ioxenior \an ('orllandt de- 
clined to he a candidate for re-eK'ctioii in the soriiiir of IT'.'-''. It was 



Inspectors iind Srluml (\)inmissi()iu'rs wns iibolislipd and tlic olUcoof town .•itipcrintontlpul 
was sulisliliilcil. Ill ISli II Slate iionniil sclinol wns cslalilislifd al .Mliany for Ilie 
inslniilioii (if Iciii'lu'is, In Hie siiiiic vciir llu' ollli-c of louiily supi riiilciuliiil was iiliol- 
islud. 1111(1 Icailu Ts' iiisliliili's wcir Icpilly cslnlilislictl. 

Uy iicl of till' htirisliil lire ill Ilie siiviiii;' of I84!l free .scluiols were rslalilislicd lliroiisrli- 
onl the ."^liilc, and Ilic coiuliliuii of llic liileliill .syslcm wasaliolislied. It was soon found 
not lo woiU well in praeliee. The law was repealed in is.'d. and the rate hill syslem 
was resion il. hi IS.'i;! I'liioii free schools were peniiilled under certain conditions. 

hi the .sprinjr of IS.M llie olliee of snperintendeni of pulilie instruction was created — a 
virtual rcsloralion of the olliee (illed liy (Sideon llawley from 181!t to 1801. hi IfCiri the 
rejrenis of the I'liiversity were authorized to desisnate certain academies in the several 
counties in which teachers' classes uiinhi lie tauiiht free, allowiiii: SjSlO for each pupil so 
tausrhl, to a iniiiilier not cxeecdin?; twenty in each aeadeniy. The olliee of .school loinmis- 
sioiier was created in ISrilt— really a leiiistatenieiit of the otHee of county superinleiident. 

* K/.ra h'llomniedieu was horn al Soulhold, l.onsr Island, X. Y.. in .Viijiusl. 17;!4, and 
died there in Septemlier, 1.><I1. lie was of a Ilii.irueiiot family from Hoehelle, Fiance. 
K/ra was a lawyi'r, an active patriot, and a memlier of the New York Provincial I'on- 
jrress, 17T5-TS. lie assisted in framinir the first Stale Constitution, and was for many 
years a incmlier of the t'ontiiienlal Con.irro.ss. lie was also a Stale senator from 17S4 
until ISdl). lie had In-en a memher of the Slate Assiemlily from 1777 lo 1783. Once he 
was a meinher of Ihc Council of .VppointmenI, and he was a rejrenl of the I'niversity 
from 17S7 until his death. In polilio he was a Fcdi'ialisl. 



PoI.lTICAl, cilANdlCS IN NKW VOliK 3G3 

(■\iilciit tli;it llic liiiri'di's (if till' I'Vi'iicli IIcN'oluticdi liml lai';;'('ly dii'iiiiisliod 
llu' miinluT ol' Ainoriciiii syiiii);itlii/.ri-s willi tliu fiiuso of tlio l'"rcimli 
l;('|iiilili<';iiis, :niil tlici'i- sci'ini'il little dniilit, tliiil the I'V-ilcnilistK wore 
niMiiil to iissunic |)oliliiMl coiit I'ol of llic St;it('. ('liiitoii luid hucii j:;()V- 
criior, liy siu^ccssivc! re-clci'tions, siiici; 1777, and liiid served the puldie 
with idiility iiiid faitld'uliiess. The I'Y'dendists luiiiuiiatcd John .lay foi' 
the e\ahed stiilion. He \v;is then in I'hi^hind, hut was okx'ted iiv a 
hirt;e majority, witii Stephen van UiiMssehicr (tlie |)atr<)on) as lieutenant- 
^•overnoi-. The I'oduralists also sociircd a uiajority in both branulics of 
tlie lie^'islal nri^ 

Xoni! Imt frotdioldors — men in piissession of jiroporty of a ])res('ril>ed 
<'liaraeter and valnr — wei'c then allowed to voto. Thuru woro aiiout 
:;r,,iiiio freelKildeis in the State. Of those, 2r),;-J7Heast their votes at that 
eleetion. The western i)()rtion of the Slate had rapidly iiieroased in 
population. Now eoiinties had lieen (jrfiani/.ed. l"\)rty-foiir senators 
iiad to he chosen — a scon; moi-e than in 1777. Seventeen of the new 
senators wore chosen fnnn the western disti'iet. 

At the first session in (iovernor day's administration a hill was intro- 
duced toi- the ^'I'ailnal alxdition of slavery in the Stitte of New York, a 
measure in which the governor fcdt (lee|)ly interested. After a hinjj; 
(h'liat(^ the hill was rejected in the Assemhiy hy the easting' vote of the 
chairmiin of the Comnnttce of the Whole. 'I'Ik' vot(! stood '.':)i to lU . 

Tii(! F(;deralists cunt inued to increase in numerical strenij;th, hut in tin; 
])residential canvass in 17'.lt! ( W'ashinijton having;' decdined to Ik; a candi- 
date) tlier(! was a. division in the l'\'d(H'al i'arty as to thidr candidate, 
.lolin Adams and 'i'liomas I'inckiu'V were nonunati^d h)' the I'\!deralists, 
ami 'I'homas Jell'ei'son hy the li(!pul)licans. Tlu; State of NtiW "^'ork 
iiave ;\danis its twidve votes in the Klectoral ('olle{i;e. lie was elected 
I'l-esidcnt, with .Mr. delTi^rson as Vice- ['resident.* 

Tlu! twentietli session of the Lcf^islatui'e convened at New York on 
.Xovcndier 1st, ami sat till Novcndier I Itli. A secoml meeting heji'an at 
Alhany (iu .lanuai-y L'd, i7'.'7, .lUil from that time until now tliat <!ity 
has heen the political capital of the State. Durini;- this session the otKce 
of comptroller was Krst created. The law made liini the liigliost linaneial 



* rndcr llic Coiisiiliition ns nri.ifinally luloptod tlic candidiitcs for Prcsiilciil. luiil XUv- 
I'lTsiilciil were vnlud liir in llic Klccloriil ('iillc;;i' iif cucli Sink', willimil (lcsi;iMiilinjt 
uhicli 111!' clccler inlciidcd I'nr llic liisl mid wliicli lor llic second olllcc. [JhIs ol' llicsc 
were liuiisiiiillcd lo llic seal iil' (iovcniiiiciil, anil llic iviiididalc liiiviiijr llic Kl'dlcst 
Miiiiilicr of votes {of II iniijoiily of llic whole) hccaiiic I'nvsidciil, mid the one liiiviiif: llic 
iicxi H'i'ciilcst minilicr Vicc-I'n'sidcnl. Tlic Twclflli ,\niciidniciil of Ilic CoMsliliilion 
I limiur,.!! il,|. modi' of voIIiik for llic Iwo olllccis, llic clcclors hcinn rci|iiiicil lo voli> iiy 
vcpm-iilc hallols for I'residciil anil Vicc-1'i'csldciil. 



304 THE E.MPIHE STATK. 

officor of tlie State, and tlio treasurer merely a clerk to liiiu. .Sauuiel 
Jones, a member of the Senate, Avas appointed hy the Council of 
Appoiiitment tlie first comptroller of the State of New York. 

On February (itli, ITOG, there Avas a notable celebration at New York 
by the Republicans and the many French temporary residents of that 
city, of the nineteenth anniversary of the treaty of alliance between 
France and tlie United States. There were a bancpiet, speeches, and 
toasts. Chancellor Livingston offered the sentiment : 

'■ May tlio i>rcsent coolness between France and America produce, 
like the (piarruls of lovei-s, a renewal of love." 

The chancellor had l)een an ardent Federalist, but, with others of the 
Liviuifston family, luid become !an Anti-Federalist in 1790, because, it 
was said, of his oppt)sition to the views of Colonel Hamilton contained 
in the famous report of the latter as Secretary of the Treasury, and es- 
pecially those in I'elation to the funding of the natioiud debt. The 
change was attributed also by his political antagonists to his disappoint- 
ment in not having been nuide Chief Justice of the United States. 

The coolness between France and the United States alluded to by 
Livingston continued to increase until, during the administration of John 
Adams, both nations prepared for war, and hostilities upon the ocean 
actually occurred ; yet neither party made a declaration of war. Bona- 
parte overturned the republican government of France in 1T90, and in 
the earlier ])ortion of tlie opening year of the nineteentli century there 
was peace and friendsiup lietween Franco and the United States. 

The llepnlilican Party had lieeii making desperate efforts to maintain 
its ascendency. A wide breach in the Federal Party promised it success 
in the spring of ll'M, but a dishonorable transaction of Colonel Aaron 
i'.urr, who was at the head of the Republican ticket in New York City, 
caused its defeat. The stock of the Bank of New York, chartered in 
IT'.tl — the first bank established in the State — happened to be ehielly 
owned by Federalists. After the election of Adams to the presidency, 
in 1707, i)arty spirit Avas nowhere so violent as in the State of New York. 
Suspicion was on the alert. The Republicans suspected the Federalists 
of using the funds of the bank for partisan purposes, and they deter- 
mined to procure a charter for another bank that should l)e under 
Republican control. As the majority of the mendiers of the Legislature 
were Federalists, they saw tiie necessity of adroit management to obtain 
a charter. This was left to Colonel Burr, who was e(pial to the occasion.* 



* Aaron Burr was born at Newark, N. J., February 6th, 1756 ; died on Staten Island. 
X. Y.. Scplembcr 14th, 1836. At the ago of nineteen years he entered the Continental 
army at Cambridge as a private soldier, and accompanie<l Arnold in his exjiedition 



THE JIANHATTAN WATER COMPANY. 



365 



The yellow-fever luid devastated tiie city of Jsew York in ITDS. Its 
general prevalence was attributed to the use of unwholesome water. 
Colonel Barr originated a scheme ostensibly for the cure of the evil, 
lie drew up and presented to the Legislature a bill for the chartering of 
a company for " supplying the city of New York with pure and whole- 
some water." As the amount of the capital which might be needed was 
uncertain, he asked for authority 
to raise 82,000,000. As that sum 
would probably not be absorbed in 
the construction of the water- works, 
he asked for a provision that the 
" surplus capital might be employ- 
ed in any way not inconsistent with 
the laws and Constitution of the 
United States or of the State of 
New York." This request ap- 
peared reasonable. Under the 
authority of these few words the 
Manhattan Company, as the cor- 

1)oration was called, was ii;iven ' . / fr; -i > m L < ^SV / 

banking privileges — really the chief 
ol)ject to be attained by the charter. 
The bill was rushed tiirough the 
Legislature at near the close of the 
session, the greater number of the 

members having no suspicion that they were chartering a powerful 
banking institution under the control of Burr and other Republican 
leaders. Such was the origin of the Maniiattan Bank in the city of 
Xew York, which still exists. Water- works were established by the 
corporation, but were inadequate for the promised service. This trick 










-V.VRON BUUH. 



thvoiifrh tlie ^Viklernc•ss to Quebec. On the way he was .seut with despatches to General 
3Iontguiueiy, anil johiiil .Vruold at the siege of Quebec. In the spring of 17T(i Burr 
joined Washington's military family, but soou left it, and in 1779 retired from military 
life and became a lawyer and an active politician. He was twice a member of the New- 
York Legislature (1784. 1798). He was adjutant-genera! of the State in 1789, and United 
States .senator from 1791 to 1797. In 1801 he was chosen Vice-President of llie United 
Slates. In 1804 he was ruined politically and socially by his .slaying of Alexander Ham- 
ilton in a duel. In ISOo-lSOO Burr was engaged in a supposed treasonable .scheme in the 
Jlississippi Valley, and was tried and acquitted — " not proven." He lived abroad several 
years, returning to New York in 1812, where he resumed the practice of the law, living 
in obsevuily and comparative poverty. In 1834 he married a wealthy widow of a 
Frenchman, but tliey soon parted. 



366 TIIK KMP1KI-; STATE. 

produced widespread indignation, and, as we Iiave observed, caused the 
defeat of tlie Uepublicans in Mie city and tlirougliout tlie States. 

A young man, notable for the dignity of his personal presence, 
appeared on tlie stage of political action as a nieniljer of the Assembly 
in 171)7, who afterward I)ecanie a leading tigure in tiie history of New 
York. lie was Do Witt Clinton, son of General James Clinton, a 
graduate of Columbia College, and having the reputation of high scho- 
lastic attainments, and then twenty-eight years of age. lie had been the 
private secretary of his nncle, the governor, and had already engaged, 
witli his pen, in political discussions. It was hoped titat he would join 
the Federal Party ; hat he did not. He was a conspicuous Republican 
leader until the " era of good feeling" — the period of the dissolution of 
the two great parties — during Jlonroe's administration. We shall meet 
him very frequently hereafter. lie took an active part in New York in 
the presidential canvass of ISOH, which resulted in the triumph of the 
Republicans in the State and nation. Jefferson and lUirr were rival 
candidates nominated by the Republicans, and John Adams was tlie Fed- 
eralist candidate for re-election. Jefferson and Burr having an e(jnal 
number of votes, the choice was made by the House of Representatives. 
It was given to Jefferson, and Burr became Vice-President. A jubilant 
Democratic rhymer of the day wrote : 

" The Federnlists are down at la.st ! 
Tlie Monarchixts conipleteh' cast ! 
Tlie Antocmts are .slriitped of power — 
Storms o'er the Biitiuli f(ii-(iniix lower. 
Soon we Rtpiihlimiin shall see 
Columbia's sons from bondage free. 
Lord ! how the FederaliKts will stare 
At .Ieffeuson in An.ois' chair !" 

From that time the Republicans were generally called " Democrats," 
and so we will designate them hereafter. 

Washington had died at near tiie close of the previous year ( Decemlier 
1-ith, li^yj. The event cast a gloom over the whole country, for he 
was beloved by the nation. The asperity with which lie had been 
ass;iiled by political antagonists had already been transformed into pro- 
found respect and reverence. His death was felt as a national calamity- 
— an irreparable loss. It was especially so to the Federalists, with whom 
he was identitied, for his name was a tower of strength. After his 
death the party was weakened by factions. The most imposing funeral 
honors were paid to the memory of Washington everywhere. In the 
city of New Y''ork particularly all parties joined in expressions of pro- 
found and tender regard. 



XEW YORK IN THE YEAR 1800. 367 



CHAPTEE XXVI. 

At tlic begiiiiiini;' of tliis century tlie popubitioii of the State of Xew 
York was 589,000, ami of tlie city of Xew York, its coinmercial metrop- 
olis, it was no, 000. The decidedly Dutch aspect of tlie city in architec- 
ture and social manners had almost disappeared. The houses, the furni- 
ture, the amusements, and the dress of the people were imitations of 
English life. To London the ladies and gentlemen looked for fashions, 
and even in the Dntcli Reformed churches the language of Holland was 
now seldom heard in the pulpit. Xew York was a complete trans- 
formation of Xew Amsterdam. 

Tiiat metropolis, now (1SS7) numijering, with its suburl)an munici- 
palities, fully 2,500,000 inhabitants, was then only a large village in com- 
parison. Its northern boundary on the west "was Harrison Street, some 
distance below Canal Street ; on the east, Rutgers Street, and at the 
centre by Anthony (now Worth) Street. Xorth of there, and extending 
from river to river over a hilly country, were fields and orchards, farm- 
houses and pretty country-seats. Broadway, which crossed by a stone 
arched bridge the little sluggish stream that passed between the Fresh 
Water Pond (where the Tombs, or Halls of Justice, now stands) and tlie 
Hudson River, througli Lispenard's oozy meadows on the line of Canal 
Street, was terminated by a jMcket- fence across the road at Astor Place. 
That was the southern boundary of the farm of Captain Randall, the 
founder of the Sailors' Snug IIarl)or, who gave it for an endowment 
for that institution. From near this point the Boston Road led, by 
a crooked way, to Harlem, which liad been founded by the early Dutch 
settlers. There Dutch farmers were seated, and on Harlem Plains tliey 
raised vegetables for the traders at Xew Amsterdam. The Middle 
Road, beginning at the Randall farm, also extended to Harlem by a 
devious w-ay, to avoid rocks and morasses, and the King's Bridge, or 
Bloomingdalo Road, extended l)y present Central Park and Manhat- 
taiiville to the famous bridge which spanned Spuyten Duyvil Creek. It 
was the beginning of the post road to Albany. 

On the site of Washington Square, a portion of which was a swamp, 
was the new Potter's Field, a bnrial-phice for paupers and strangers. 
The Jews' burial-ground was near Chatham Square, and the negro burial- 
ground was at the north-east corner of Broadway and Chambers Street. 



3C8 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



Burial-grounds were also attached to tlie suvltuI c-hurclies. I !iiii;ils Kolaw 
Canal Street were prohibited in 1S13. 

There were two little villages on the Hudson River (Greenwich and 




NEW YOUK COSTUMES AT TIIK BE(iINSINti OF THE XIXETEENTH CENTlltY. 



Chelsea), not far nortii of the city pro])er. At Greenwich was the 
States Prison, a strong stone building. It was the second States prison 
built in the Ignited States. At the foot of Park Place was Columbia 



BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS OF NEW YORK CITY. 



3 09 




JOHN CRrGER.t 



College ; and on Broadway, between Pearl and Diiane streets, was the 
New York Hospital, chartered in 1771. The oidy medical school in 
the citj was the Medical Faculty of 
Columbia College. 

The benevolent institutions were 
tlie Chandler of Commerce ; * the 
Marine Society, for the benefit of the 
families of seamen ; the Humane 
Society, for the relief of distressed 
debtors and of the poor in general ; 
the Manumission Society, composed 
chiefly of Friends, or Quakers, de- 
signed for the amelioration of the 
condition of the slaves and the ac- 
complishment of their freedom ulti- 
mately ; the Sailors' Snug Harbor, 
for the comfort of decrepit and worn- 
out seamen ; the General Society of 
Mechanics aud Tradesmen, for the 

benefit and relief of the families of necessitous mcnd)ers ; the Society of 
the Cincinnati ; the Tammany Society, already mentioned ; a Dispensary, 

* This most useful organization was formed in 1TC8 at tlie Queen's Head Tavern, 
afterward Fraunce's Tavern, wliere Washington parted witli his otticers, and yet stand- 
ing, at the corner of Pearl and Broad streets. It was founded by twenty leading mer- 
chants, .some of whom afterward appeared conspicuous in public affairs. They avowed 
the purpose of the association to be "promoting and extending all just and lawful 
commerce, and for affording relief to decayed members, their widows and children." It 
was incorporated in ilarch, 1T70. The following are the names of the original members : 
John Cruger, Elias Desbrosses, James Jauncey. Jacob Walton, Robert JIurray. Hugh 
Wallace, George Folliot, William AValton, Samuel Verplanck, Theophylact Bache, 
Thomas Wliite, Jliles Sherbrook, AValtcr Franklin, Robert Ross AVaddel, Acheron 
Thompson. Laurence Kortright, Thomas Randell, AVilliam McAdam, Isaac Low, and 
Anthony van Dam. John Cruger was the first president. Robert ^Miirra^- and Walter 
Franklin represented the Quaker element in the commercial features of New York. Its 
sittings were interrupted when the British took possession of tlie city in 1776, but in 1779 
the Tory members who remained in the city met at the Merchants' Coffee-House, corner 
of Wall and Water streets, and renewed the sessions. It was rechartered by tlie State 
Legislature in 1784, and its first president was John Alsop. The Waltous were among 
the most eminent and opulent merchants of the city. The Walton House, on Franklin 
Square, was long the most magnificent dwelling in the city of New York. It is now 
devoted to the uses of various kinds of business. It is opposite the pulilishing house of 
Harper & Brothers. 

■|- John Cruger was mayor of the city of New York when the Chamber of Commerce 
wa,s founded, and the next year (176.5) was speaker of the Assembly from 1709 to 1775. 
During the perilous time just preceding the outbreak of the Revolution liis infiuence was 



3T0 Tin; K.Ml'lKE STATE. 

Oil Trynii How, not fur from tlie site of tlie (present) City Hall ; tlie St. 
Aiulrew'.s Society, and severii! Masonic Ludjijes. 

Tliere were twenty-six cinirclies in tlie cit}- — namely, 3 Dutch Re- 
formed, 1 (Tcrinan Kuformed, 7 Protestant Episcopal, 1 l>utlieraii, 
5 Presbyterian, 2 Baptist, 3 A[etliodist, 1 Moravian, 1 Friends' Jlect- 
inj^-IIouse, 1 Ilonian Catholic, and 1 Jews' Synat^ogue. The only 
public lii>rary in the cit}' was the Society Library, founded in 1754r. The 
Post-Ottice M'as kept in a room of the dwellino; of the postmaster (Gen- 
eral Bailey), on the corner of William and CTarden streets, and contained 
one hundred boxes. There was only one theatre in the city. The 
Maidiattan Water Company had a distributing reservoir on Chambers 
Street, then quite " out of town." 

The most noted of the country-seats on Manhattan Island were those of 
Hoger Morris, on Harlem Heights ; of Robert [Murray, on the Tnchberg 
(now Murray IWW) ; the Apthorp Mansion, on the Bloomingdale Road ; 
"The Grange,'' llamiltoirs residence near Carmansville, yet (1S,S7) 
standing, and of Richmond Hill, at the junirtion of Charlton and A'^arick 
streets, then the residence of Colonel Aaron Burr. 

Such is an outline picture of the city of Kew York less than one 
Imndrt'd years ago. 

The State Constitution made no provisions for its own alteration or 
amendment. A necessity for an amendment appeared at the beginning 
of this century. In accordance with its provisions, the members of the 
Legislature, and particularly of the Senate, were increasing in numbers 
to a degree that was already inconvenient. Governor Jay, in his speech 
at the opening of the session of the Legislature, in January-, ISOl, called 
the attention of tliat body to the subject. Having no legal power under 
the Constitution to order a convention, to consider amendments, they 
recommended such a convention, to consist of delegates from the several 
counties, crpial in nund)er to the members of the Assembly. It was 
done. The deligates were chosen in .\ugust, aiul assembled at ^\.lbany 
on Octolier 13tli. .Varoii l!urr was chosen President of the con- 
vention. It remained in session until the '2~th. and adopted, liy unani- 
mous vote, an amendment pro])osed by i)e Witt Clinton, which provided 
that the number of the members of the Assembly should never exceed 
one hundred and fifty, and of the Senate, thirty-two. At that time 



* 



powiil'iil ill iiKiiiilaiiiiiii: publii- ordcv iiinonjr the cili/.cns of Xcw York. He was an 
active iiU'inlxT of tlio Stamp Act C'onirrcss in 170"), and prepared its famous Declaration 
of Ki.irlits. lie wa.s also a prominent member of the New York Provincial Con^'ress, 
1775. Mr. Cruder left the city before the British took possession of il in 17Tt!. He died 
in New Y'ork C'itj' in 1791-9"-. al the aire of eighty year.s. 



POLITICAL INFLUENCE OF TWO FAMILIES. 371 

there wei'8 oiio Imudrod asseiiihlyniun. An aiueiulfiient was adopted 
requiring an increase of asseiriblymen, at the rate of two each year — 
after tlie return of every census — until the whole ininibor should amount 
to one hundred and fifty. The people ratified the auiendments. 

The Democrats now lield the political ascendancy in the State and the 
nation. E.k- Governor (leorge Clinton was elected Governor of New 
York, and in February, 18(>3, his nephew, De Witt Clinton, was chosen 
to fill the place of General Armstrong (who had resigned) in the Senate 
of the United States. Clinton was then about thirty-three years of age. 
Tie was also a member of the Council of Appointment, and was regarded 
as one of the ablest of the younger public men of the State. 

Colonel Curr, the Clintons, and the Livingstons M-ere then the ac- 
knowledged leaders of the Democratic Party in the State ; but Burr's 
popularity had already begun to wane. His ambition had impelled him 
to acts which rendered him an object of .suspicion and the am'madver- 
sions of leading members of his party. Tlie Clintons and the Livingstons 
disowned him as a Democrat, and on the distribution of the great ofliees 
of the State by the Council of Appointment not one of Burr's friends 
received a place. 

The Democratic Council of Appointment divided the offices among 
the two leading families in the State — the Clintons and the Livingstons 
— and their immediate friends. Edward Livingston was created Mayor 
of New York City. The Secretary of State was removed in order to 
make a place for Dr. Tillottson, a lirother-in-law of Chancellor Living- 
ston. Morgan Lewis, another brother-in-law, was made Chief -Justice 
of the State Supreme Court ; General Armstrong, another brother-in- 
law of the chancellor, was appointed United States Senator. Brockholst 
Livingston and Smith Thompson (the latter married a Livingston) were 
created Judges of the Supreme Court. These persons, connected with 
the Livingston family by marriage or otherwise, were all able men. 
Governor (.'linton had declared, on taking office again, that the heads of 
State Departments especially and the incumbents of minor offices 
should be men in political accord with the majority of the voters who 
appeared at the poles. This was a mild expression of the political maxim 
enunciated long years afterward — " To the victors belong the spoils."' 

('hancellor Livingston having been disrpialitied by age to hold the 
office of chancellor longer. Judge John Lansing succeeded him, and 
Mr. Livingston was appointed by President Jefferson Minister at the 
( 'ourt of the First (Consul of France, where he negotiated the purchase 
from that power of the immense territory known as Louisiana, for 
s;!,( )(((), 000. 



372 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

In the summer of 18o2 a most bitter political and personal warfare 
was wa_s:;ed between Colonel Burr and bis partisans, and the Clintons and 
Livingstons and their adherents. The latter established a newspaper, 
called the Americati Citizen, as the organ of the Democratic Party, 
which was under the control of De Witt Clinton. It bitterly charojed 
Iiiirr with ti'eason to tiie Democratic cause, and also with iiitriiruiiii' with 
the Federalists to prevent the election of Jefferson, in order to secure 
for himself the j)residential ciiair. An EnglisJunaM named Cheatham 
was the editor-in-chief. To meet this formidable opponent in l>attle. 
Colonel Burr and his friends established the Morniiuj Chronicle, edited 
by Peter Irvinii', an elder brother of Washington Irving. 

The CItronicle carried the war into the camp of the Clintons and Liv- 
ingstons witli great vigor. It charged thein with inordinate personal 
ambition ; with endeavoring to exercise dictatorial power over the Dem- 
ocratic Party, and appropriating to themselves the spoils of tiie political 
victories. It affirmed that they were jealous of Burr, and wished to get 
rid of him, l)ecause he was an obstacle in the way of their efforts to 
place a member of one of their families in the exalted position (Vice- 
President of the United States) then filled by the colonel, and ulti- 
mately in the principal chair. So heated did the controversy become, 
that the two sections of the Democratic Party became personally hostile. 

Burr's opponents managed to gain control of the Manhattan Bank 
(already mentioned), and wielded its power against him and his friends. 
Coloncd John Swartwout, one of Burr's most devoted partisans, was 
turned out of the direction of the bank. Though his private character 
was unimpeachable, De Witt Clinton — who was too apt to speak of every 
man who opposed him as a knave or a fool — spoke of Swartwout as a 
"liar, a swindler, and a villain." Swartwout challenged Clinton. A 
duel ensued. Five shots were exchanged. Xobodv was hurt. Richard 
Kiker. afterward the famous Pecorder of the city of New York, was 
Clinton's second and warm personal friend. He so vigorously defended 
Clinton, through the press, that a brother of Swartwout challenged 
Piker. 

In a duel that ensued, Piker was so severely wounded that he was 
lamed for life.* 



* Kieliarfl RikiT was loiitj a conspicuous fisure in official life in Xcw York. He wa.s 
born on Lonjr Island in ScptcnilKT. 1TT3. upon land ceded to his ancestor. GeyslxTt Riker. 
in KilJO. His father wiis an active patriot of the Revolution of 1775-83. AVhen (|uile a 
youni; man Richard was made Attorney-General of the State of New York. He wji-s 
first chosen Recorder of the city in 1815. He was ajrain chosen in 1821 and 1824, 
serving fourteen years successively iu his last term. He died in October. 1S42. Sir. 



SCHISM IN THE DEMOCKATK' PARTY. 373 

Cheatham published a paiiqildet against Burr, and Wilham P. Van 
Ness (Burr's second in his duel witli Ilaniiltuu) puhlislied in the same 
form, over tiie signature of " Aristides," a most violent attaeic upon the 
character of the whole Livingston family. lie also attacked De Witt 
Clinton and Ambrose Spencer \vith special severity. 

In forming a judgment concerning this virulent controversy, it may 
be well to remember the words of Lady Betty Germain — " 1 have lived 
long eiuuigh never wholly to believe any side or party again.st the other." 

This schism in the Democratic Party in the State vexed tlie leaders a 
long time. Colonel Burr lost the confidence of his party not only at 
home, but at the national capital ; but the continually increasing majori- 
ties of the party at every election inspired his friends with hope. They 
resolved to bring out Burr as a Democratic candidate for Governor of 
New York against any regular Jiominee of the party. In Febriuiry, ISOi, 
his friends in the Legislature held a meeting at Albany, and formall3' 
nominated him. A meeting in New York City ratified it. Tliere being 
no chance for the election of a Federalist, leaders of that party proposed 
to take up Burr as their candidate, so as to defeat the Democrats by the 
coalition. 

At a private meeting of Federalists for con.sultation, held at Albany a 
few evenings after Burr's nomination. General Alexander Hamilton, 
then on legal business at Albany, took a conspicuous part. He advo- 
cated voting for Chancellor Lansing, in case they had no candidate of 
their own, declaring that no reliance ought to be placed on Colonel 
Burr. He rejieated his declaration in substance at a private dinner-table. 
One of the guests on that occasion (Dr. Cooper), in a letter to a friend, 
repeated the substance of Hamilton's remarks in such a careless use of 
words that they conveyed the erroneous impression that they impeached 
the private character of Burr. He wrote that both Hamilton aiid Judge 
Kent* looked upon Burr as a dangerous man, and one who ought not to 

Rikcr was one of the most notable of the recorders of the city — etVicieiil, amiable, just, 
and beloved by everybody. Fitz-Greene Halleck wrote : 

" My Dear Rerorder, you and I 

Have floated down life's stream together, 
And kept unharmed our friendship's tie 
Through every change in Fortune's slcy, 
* Her pleasant and her rainy weather." 

* .James Kent was born in Putnam (llien a part of Duehess) County in .July, 1763. 
He wa.s graduated at Yale College : became a lawyer and ;i profound jurist ; in i)olities 
he wa.s a Federtilist, and in ITitl mtide New York City his residence, where he formed an 
intimate friendshi]) with Colonel Iliimilton. He became a judge of the Supreme Court 
of New York in 179H and chief justice in 1804. In 1S14 he became chancellor, retired 



374 



Tin: KMl'IHK STATK 



l>u trusted witli the reins vf goveriiiMCiit, and ;idded : " I could detail ti. 
yon a still more des|)ical)le opinion which General Hamilton lias ex- 
pressed of iJurr." This letter was shown to many politicians before the 
election, which took place in April, and soon after that event it found 
its way into the newspapers. ^lany Federalists voted for Burr, hut lie 
was defeated l>y a large majority of votes given to Morgan Lewis,* the 

regular nominee of the party. lie 
attributed his failure to gain the 
))rize to the adverse influence of 
Ilamiltoii. When he saw Cooper's 
letter in the newspapers his indig- 
ii;ition knew no bounds. lie at 
once wrote a note to Hamilton 
(June isth, 18»)4), demanding a 
" prompt and unqualified acknowl- 
edgment or denial of the use of any 
expression which would warrant the 
assertions of Mr. C(joper."' An 
unsatisfactory correspondence en- 
sued. Burr finally challenged 
Hamilton to fight a duel. The lat- 
ter did all in the power of an 
honorable man to avoid a personal 
Yielding to the then prevailing public 
opinion about the miscalled code of honor, Hamilton, in violation of his 
moral and religious convictions, felt com(>elled to accept the challenge. 
His son Phiiij) was killed in a duel not long before. 

< >ii the morning of July lltli, ls<i4, the l)elligerents crossed the 
Hudson in boats to the duelling-ground at Weehawken, with their 




<^r:-^jy 'f'4' f^^ 



MOKllAN l.KWIS. 



renronfre. Burr was persistent. 



frf)in tile office in 1823. ami bceamu law i>rofcssor iu Columbia College the secoml liiiii'. 
His C'omiiieiitaiies on Aimiiraii Ijiir, four volumes, is a standard work. He died in 
>'ew York in DeccmlxT. 1847. 

* Morgan Lewis was born in New York City in October. 1T54, and died there in April. 
1844. He was a son of Francis Lewis, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He 
was educated at Princeton ; studied law with. John .lay ; entered the Continental army at 
Cambridge in June. ITTo, and was a gallant soldier, serving faithfully until ITStl. when 
he left the army, having iM'en promoted to colonel on the staff of GJeneral Gates. He 
began the practice of law in Drichess County, N. Y. ; married a sister of Chancellor 
Livingston : U'came a judge : attorney-general of the State in 1701 : justice of the State 
Supreme Coiui and chief justice in 1801. He was Governor of the State in 18<>4 : wius 
made quartermaster-general with the rank of brigadier in 1812, and major-general in 
1813. He served well during the war. Late in life he devoted himself to literature and 
agriculture. In 1835 he wjus president of the New York Historical Society. 



DEATH OF IIA.AIILTON— JIILITAKV AC'ADEJIY. 375 

ret:pective seconds — Mr. Van Ness with Burr, Mr. Pendleton with 
Hamilton. The chosen weapons were pistols. At the c(iven word 
Burr took deliberate aim and gave his antagonist a fatal wound. The 
latter did not fire, at Burr. The wounded statesman was taken across 
the river to the home of liis friend, Colonel Bajard, at Greenwich, 
where lie died in the afternoon of the following day. The Federal Party 
in Xew York thus lost its most efficient leader, and the nation was de- 
prived of a iiiighty pillar of support. The remains of Hamilton rest in 
Trinity Churchyard, near Broadway. 

The death of Hamilton at the hand oi Burr created the most intense 
excitement anaong all classes of society, first in the city of New York 
and then throughout the Eepublic. It was regarded as a deliberate 
murder. The recollection of Hamilton's past services, his transcendent 
abilities, his marvellous powers for usefulness as a citizen, caused uni- 
versal mourning among his countrymen. Even his political enemies 
dropped a tear of sensibility. 

At the moment when Hamilton fell Burr became politically dead. 
He fled from righteous wrath, and became a fugitive. At length he 
ventured to engage in some jnysterions scheme — treasonable it was 
believed — for his own aggrandizement. He was arrested, and tried on a 
charge of treason, but escaped conviction. It was virtnaily a Scotch 
verdict — '' Not proven." lie lived thirty years afterward in obscurity. 

At near the close of the last century a National Military Academy 
was founded at West Point, among the Hudson Highlands, with pupils 
composed of cadets attached to corps of artillerists and engineers then 
stationed there for the purpose. Its first commander, or superintend- 
ent, was Major Jonathan AVilliams. The institution rapidly grew in the* 
luimber of the pupils and in tangible usefulness. The Academy was 
reorganized in 1812, when the number of cadets was limited to two 
hundred and si.xty. Then the broad foundation upon which the institu- 
tion now rests was laid. The first graduate of this military academy 
was the late General Joseph G. Swift, under whose directions the forti- 
fications on and around New York or Manhattan Island were constructed 
during the War of 1812-15. 

The election of Judge Lewis Governor of the State of New York left 
the office of Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court vacant. James Kent 
was soon afterward appointed to fill the seat, and Daniel D. Tompkins 
was created Associate Justice. Mr. Jefferson was re-elected in the 
autumn of 1804, with George Clinton as Vice-President. 

In a special message in January, 1805, Governor Lewis urged the ap- 
plication of the proceeds of the sales of the public lands of the State (one 



.•iTfl 



THE KJIl'lKl-: STATE. 



iiiillidii tivc liuiulrcd tliousand :icrei?)to tlie iinproveincnt and elevation of 
tlio coiiiiiion schools. The Legislature made an appropriation of live 
hundred thousand acres for that purpose, and thus was laid the foundation 
for a permanent school fund. At the same session the Society for 
Establishing a Free School in the city of New York, for the education 
of destitute children, was incorporated. De Witt Clinton, the first 
signer to the petition for the incorporation, was made its first jiresident. 
It was the legitimate offspring of the Female Association for the Kelief 
of the Poor, founded in 1S(I2 hy benevolent women of the Society of 
Fi'iends. They opened a school for the free education of white girls. 

Its influence rapidly extended, and 
at one time it had several large 
elementary schools. 

The first school of the Society 
for Establishing a Free School was 
opened on Madison Street, in May, 
ISOG. Colonel Henry TJntgers 
soon afterward gave land on Henry 
Street as a site for a school-house. 
The i^upils increased so raj)idly 
that other builditigs were provided. 
The Legislature, Trinity Church, 
and the Municipal Cor])oration gave 
the society ])ecuniary aid. In ISOS 
the name of the society was changed 
to Free School Society of tlie City 
of New York ; and late in 181)0 a 
school was o])cne(l in the old arsenal building,* on Clianil)ers Street, as 
" Public School No. 1." It was held in a room large enough to accom- 
modate fully five hundred children. It was agreed that the children in the 
Almshouse should l)e taught there. At the opening of the school, De 
Witt Clinton pronounced a memorable address, wiiich was spoken of 
nearly fifty years afterward in a Public School Kejxjrt, as "' sowing the 
seed-wheat of all the harvests of education which subsetpient years have 
gathered into our garnere. " 

In tlie State of New York one of the most important achievements in 




ROBERT FtTLTON. 



* Tliis was a brick building on Chambers Street and Tryon Row. The city corix)ni- 
tion appropriated ^IHOO for the remodelling of the building inside and out, for the pur- 
pose of a school. .Vmong the most eonspieuous working members of the society at that 
time was De Witt Clinton, Thomas f'ddy, Samuel Wood, Thoin;is Brown, .Tohn Griscom, 
Joseph Curtis, Charles Wilkes, Cadwallader D. Colden. and Dr. .lohii W, Francis. 



XAVIGATIOX BY STKA>r ON TITF. IIUDSOX 




tlie history of human progress was accomplished in ISdT, in tlio per- 
manent establishment of steam-navigation. Some feelilo attempts to ac- 
complish tin's end had been made before in Europe;. Tloliert Fulton,* 
an American citizen, a professional portrait-painter, had lived s(ime 
years in Paris, had travelled in Great Britain, and had studied the sub- 
ject and made some experiments. 

In Paris he had interested (lianeellor Livingston in steam-naviyafinn 
projects, and on his re- 
turn home, in IS(N'), _. _ . 
Fulton, in conjunction 
with Livingston, built 
a steamboat far up the 
HudEon River, and 
named it the V/cnnout. 
She was one hundred 
and thirty feet long, 
sixteen feet wide, and 
was one hundred and 
sixty tons burden. She 
was furnished with a 
WattsiS: P)Oultou steani- 
engine. 

On the morning of August 7th, ISOT, the Clermont .started from New 
York City on a trial-trip to x\lbany, one hundred and fifty miles. It 
was successful, and was accom])lislied in thirty-six hours, against wind 
and tide. Steam-navigation was now no longer an experiment ; it was 
a demonstration. On September 1st the L'Jcrnivnt l)egan regular trips 
over tliat route. Livingston had obtained from the Legislature the 
exclusive right of steam-navigation on the ILidson for twenty years. In 

* Robert Fulton was born in Lancaster County, Penn., in 1765. He was of Iri.sli 
descent ; died in New York City February 21st, 1815. He became a skilful painter of 
miniature portraits in Pliiladelphia, and went to England to study under Benjamin West. 
He there made himself familiar with the steam-engine, then just improved by Watt, and 
turned his attention to invention. He was seven years an inmate of Joel Barlow's house 
in Paris, .studying languages and science and considering inveiUions. One of these was a 
torpedo for use in naval warfare. He unsuecessfully offered his invention to the Frencli 
and English governments. He became acquainted in Paris with Robert R. Livingston, 
and was aided by him pecuniarily in perfecting his invention for navigation by steam. 
Fulton returned to New York in 1806, and with Livingston built a boat, which was 
successfully propelled by steam between New York and Albany in 1807. He could not 
induce his Government to adopt his torpedo. He built steam ferry-boats, and in 1814 the 
Government appointed Iiim to superintend one or more floating batteries. He built a war 
steamer (tlie first ever constructed), which after his deatli was named Fulton the First. 



THE CLERMONT. 



■.ila 



rilK KMPIRE STATE. 




less than six years from the exploit of the ( '/criiwii/ tharc were six steam- 
boats navigating the Hudson, or North River, as it was then usually 
called. 

From the port of Xcw York went out the Stivannah, in 1S19, the 
first steam- vessel that crossed the Atlantic, Ocean to Europe ; l^ut the 
regular navigation of the sea was postponed until tlie sunnner of 1838, 
when the (r/rat Wcniern steamship crossed from Bristol and entered the 
harbor of Xew York. 

jSew York was the most famous commercial marc in tlie United States 
early in the century, and lias remained so. Iler merchants suffered 

severely from the reckless foot- 
l)all-playing with the world's 
commerce, by Great Britain and 
France, for several years. By 
the operation of Britisli Orders 
in Council, and Decrees i.ssued 
by the Emperor Napoleon, all 
American commerce in neutral 
ships with either of the bellig- 
erent nations was suspended. 

Late in October, lS(i7, Con- 
gress, as a countervailing meas- 
ure, laid an emltargo on all ves- 
sels in the harbors of the Inited States. These measures were disastrous 
to the mercantile and shipping interests of the whole conntr}-, and to that 
of the city of New York especially. The Federalists and many Demo- 
crats strenuously opposed the Embargo Act, but it was suj>ported by 
most of the Democratic Party. The Federalists justified the British 
Orders in Council, and the Democrats justified the French Decrees. The 
Embargo Act was repealed early in 1809. Another embargo was laid in 
the spring of 1812. American commerce was now prostrated ; it was 
annihilated in the ensuing summer by the declaration of war against Great 
Britain. For several yeare the trading interests of New York City were 
subjected to many vicissitudes 

* Early in 1814 the first steamship of war was constructed at New York, at Noah 
Brown's shipyard, and named Fulton the Fimt. It wjus a sort of catamaran. The hull 
<onsisted of two boats, separated by a channel fifty feel wide. One boat eontaine<1 the 
copper l)oiler for jreneratin^ steam, the other contained the machinery. The propellini; 
wheel revolved in the space between them. .\ deck extended over the whole. The 
ve.sst-1 was arranged for sails. It was designed for harbor defence. The Fiilton the First 
made a trial-trip a short distance at sea. She made si.x miles an hour with steam alone. 
She was onlv a floating batterv. 



KII.TOX TIIK KIUST. 



CAUSE OF TllK (iVKKTHKOW i^V Tin-: FEDERALISTS. 379 

ik-anwliile tlie politiciil (quarrels in the State of New York liad raged 
with trreat violence. The schism in the Democratic Party continued, 
and yet that party was so powerful in numbers that it continued its 
domination in the State witli continnally increasing strengtli. One fac- 
tion was led chiefly by the Livingstons, and the other faction was led by 
De Witt Clinton and his friends. The Federal Party had fallen to rise 
no more into permanent existence. 

The chief cause of the overthrow of the Federal Party was the mis- 
takes made by earnest but injudicious leaders in taking occasions to show 
their partiality to the British nation.* This was natural in the fever 
of excitement, ])ecanse the Democrats were more demonstrative in tokens 
of their jjartiality for the cause of Napoleon, then scourging Europe with 
his armies. Besides, many Tories of the Revolution and their friends 
had become attached to the Federal Party, and so increased the animosity 
and the suspicions of the Democrats. 

Althougli Colonel Burr himself was politically dead and buried, his 
friends, who formed a considerable faction, were very much alive and 
aggressive. There appears to be evidence that De Witt Clinton and his 
friends coquetted with the "' Burrites," in order to gain tlieir support in 
the warfare with Governor Lewis ; anil that as Clinton had not the 
]iower at that time to give offices to Burr or his friends, it was proper 
that he should give " pecuniar^''' aid, through the medium of the Man- 
hattan ]?ank, of whii-h ('linton was a prominent director. f The revela- 

* One Instance will suffice to illustrate this point. Previous to celebrating the anniver- 
sary of intlepeiidence at Albany, in 180.5, the Ccjmmon Conncil of that city, composed of 
a majority of Federalists, passed a resolution that the Declaration of Independence should 
not be read on that occstsion, because the reading of that instrument, it was alleged, 
tended to perpetuate prejudices against the British nation, when the causes of hostility 
had long since ceased to exist. 

f Matthew L. Davis, the bosom friend and biographer of Colonel Burr, states in a 
pamphlet, composed of a series of letters published in a newspaper, over the signatures of 
" JIarcus" and " Philo Cato, " that in December. 1M05. Levi 3[cKeau, a Binrite from 
Poughkeepsie. a neighbor and friend of (Jeneral James Tallmadge, a zealous " Clintonian," 
arrived in New York, and stated to his political friends there that overtures had Ix-en 
made " by the Clinlonians to form a union with the Burrites," and that he had conversed 
with General Bailey, the postnnister, on the subject. Mr. Da\'is states that earh' in 
January, 1800, Colonel Swartwout, Burr's warm friend, accepted an invitation from 
General Bailey to a personal interview, the latter avowing himself as the agent of De Witt 
Clinton ; also that an agreement was made that : 

1. Colonel Burr .should be recognized by the coalition ivs a Democr.it. 

2. That attacks upon him should cease, and that the Biu-rites should not be regarded 
as rrtnrniiifi to the Democratic Party ; and 

8. That the friends of Burr should be placed on the same footing as the most favored 
Clhitonians as respected appointments to offices of honor and protit throughoiU the State. 




3.->() Tin: KMI'IKK S-|'ATi:. 

tioiis uf this coalitiDii and its cuiulitious prodiK-ed intense iiidignatiuii in 
the Democratic Party. At a meeting at Martling's Long Room (Tam- 
many Hall) it \\-as denounced. Mr. Clinton was then in Albany, lie 
wrote a letter to General Tjailey, approving in general of the proceed- 
ings of the meeting, and declaring that the Bujjport of the Democratic 

Party hy the Burrites would lie 
universally agreeal)le, but it ought 
not to be purchased by a jironiise 
of offices. 

There being menaces of war 
between the United States and 
Great I'ritain, the governor, in his 
speech at the opening of the Leg- 
islature in ISOC), urged the necessity 
of placing tiie State in a position of 
defence, for it would l)e exposed to 
attacks by land on tlie north and 
from the sea on the south. Aery lit- 
tle was then done to this enil. The 
National Government built Foit 
i.vMKi, 1,. ToMi-KUNs. j.^^, a,ic] Gistlc William on (iovern- 

* or's Island, in Xew York Harbor. 

Lj lS(1t) the Democrats elected Daniel D. Tompkins* Governor of 
the State of Xew York, which position he held from 1807 until 1S17. 
He filled the office with great distinction and efficiency during the trying 
times of the War of 1812-15. In 1808 the Democrats elected James 

Davis further stated that t'linton, ■nitli some frieiKls. anions tlipm a zealous partisan of 
Burr, afterward met Colonel Swart wout at the house of General Hailey, when conjrratula- 
tions on the coalition were exchanged ; and that iu February, at a supper at a hotel near 
>ie\v York, the Clintoiiians and Burrites exchanged toasts and congratulations. 

When these letters appeared Jlr. Clinton denied the truth of their allegations, and 
publicly threatened to prosecute their author for libel. >Ir. Davis gave notiee that he 
could prove all his sissertions. The case was never brought to trial. 

* Daniel D. Tompkins was born in Westchester County, N. Y., in .June, 1774. and 
died on Staten Island in .Tune. IS^.j. He was educated at Columbia College ; Ix'canie a 
lawyer, and in IHOl was a member of the convention that revised the Stat<> Constitution. 
He served in the State I.egislature, and was a member of Congress in 1S04-1S0.J. He was 
made a judge of the State Supreme Court in 1804 : was chosen governor in IHIMi. and 
served ten consecutive years, and was elected Vice-President of the United States in 1810. 
He was chancellor of the University of the State of New York, and president of the 
convention, in 1821, which re\-ised the State Constitution. He had recommended, by a 
special mes.sage to the Legislature, the abolition of slavery in the State of Xew York. 
Owing to reports of crooke<lness in his public financial affairs, he failed to secure a noni- 
ination for the Presidency of the United States, for which he was an aspirant. 



BRITISH ORDERS IN COUNCIL UNREPEALED. 381 

Madison President of tlie United States, with George Clinton Vice- 
President. These gentlemen took their official seats in the spring of 
1809. 

Tlie great business depression, in consequence of the emljargo and tlie 
quarrels of the Democratic factions, caused a temporary revival of the 
strength of the Federal Party, and at the spring election in 1809 they 
gained ascendency in the State of New York — the firet time in ten years. 

The act repealing the Embargo Law went into effect on June 10th, 
1800. On that day tliere were public rejoicings throughout the 
State, and particularly in the city of Kew York. But the jubilant 
feeliTigs of the peoj^le were soon repressed by the peremptory refusal of 
the British Government to repeal the Orders in Council, in accordance 
with a treaty made with its accredited agent. Tliis refusal caused intense 
indignation against the British authorities, which the Federalists were 
piiwei'less to assuage. 



38:2 



THE K.MIMUK STATK. 



CHAPTER x.wir. 

The great canal wliicli bisects the State of New York, from tlie Hud- 
sou River to Lake Erie, a distaueo of three liniKlred and sixty-three miles, 

is a uioiniiueut of unsurpassed 
magnificence, eomuiemorative of 
the ])r.)found statesmansliip, tiie 
prophetic wisdom, tiie far-reach- 
ing sagacity, and tlie exalted public 
spirit of tlie leaders of opinion in 
the State during the earlier years 
of this century-. 

AVho first conceived the grand 
idea of so wedding the great lakes 
and the beautiful river is an un- 
solved question. riidoubtedly it 
was nebulous in the nn"nds of manv 
thoughtful persons before it found 
syuimetrical expression. Perhaps 
it was a dream of Joel Barlow the poet (who so early as the year 1787 
gave to the world his '' ^"ision of Cohnnbus"") wlien he wrote : 

" He saw. as widely spreads tli' ineliaiincird jtlain, 
Ayiicre inland realms for ages bloom 'd in vain, 
Canals, long winding, ope a watery flight. 
And distant streams, and seas, and lakes unite. 

"From fair .Vlbania, toward the setting .sun, 
Baek through the midland lengthening channels run ; 
.\nd the fair lakes, their beauteous towns that lave, 
And llmhou'n joined to fair Ohiu'x wave." 

A dozen years later Gouverneur Morris,* while he was on a tour to the 




OOIVEUXKII! MORRIS. 



» Gouverneur JIorrLs was born at Morrisjmia, X. Y.. in 17.53. and died there in 
November, 1816. He was a son of Chief-Justice Lewis .Morris ; was a -raduale of Kin-s 
College, and became a practising lawyer in 1771. In 1775 he wius a delesiate to the New 
York Pro^^ncial Congress, and one of the committee thai drafted the State Constitution 
From 1777 to 1780 he wa.s a member of the Continental Con-ress. and was an efficient 
member of several eommittees. In 1780 he removed lo Philadelphia, where thrown 
from his carriage, his leg was fractured, and amputation was necessary. In 1786 he 



SUGGESTION OF THE ERIE f'AXAL. 383 

Falls of tlie jSIiagara, littered a few prophetic Mords in a letter to a friend 
in Loudon. After alluding to the buddiii!; coninieree on the lakes, and 
the proi)al)ility that swarms of ships would appear there in the near 
future, he wrote : 

" Shall I lead your astoni.«hiiient up to the verge of credulity ? I 
will. Know, then, that one-tenth part of the expense borne by Britain in 
the last campaign [against Boiiaj)cirte] wouhl enable ships to «««;7 //-om 
London through the Hudson River into Lake Erie." 

To friends at home Morris suggested a direct canal from Lake Erie 
through the centre of the State to the Hudson. In 1803 he submitted 
an outline of a plan of such a work to Simeon De Witt, the Surveyor- 
General of the State, who regarded it as visionary. In conversation with 
James Geddes, a land surveyor of Onondaga County, the next year, De 
Witt told him of the impracticable plan of Morris. Geddes viewed the 
matter in a different light. He regarded it as the best that had been 
suggested. He conferred with Jesse Hawley, a sagacious and public- 
spirited citizen of Central New York. The latter, satisfied of the feasi- 
bility of the project, wrote a series of essays on the .subject, over the sig- 
nature of ■' Hercules."' They were published in a Pittsiiurgh paper and 
in the Genesee Messenger, at Canandaigua, during the years 1807 and 1808, 
and commanded wide and earnest attention. They were the first writ- 
ings ever put forth in favor of the Erie Canal. 

In 1S08 Joshua Forman, an intimate associate of Mr. Geddes, was 
a member of the New York Assembly, and on February Ith intro- 
duced a resolution, with a preamble, for the appointment of a joint 
committee to '" take into consideration the propriety of exploring and 
causing an accurate survey to be made of the most eligible and direct 
route for a canal to open communication between the waters of the 
Hudson River and Lake Erie, to the end that Congress may be enabled 
to ajjpropriate such sums as may be necessary to the accomplishment of 
that great national object." * 

retired to the estate at Mcirrisatiia as sole owner. lie was tlie colleanue of Robert Morris, 
Superiutentlent of Finaiice in 1781. The literary eonstruction of the National Constitu- 
tion is tlie work of his hands. He was sent minister to France in 1793, returned home 
in 1798, and wa.s chosen senator in 1800. He was a canal commissioner from their first 
appointment until his death. In politics he wa-s a Federalist. 

* President .lefferson in his message to Congress, in December, 1807, proposed the 
application of the surplus funds in the National Treasury to the great national objects of 
opening canals and making turnpike roads. In his preamble Mr. Forman jjointed out 
the fact that the State of New York possessed the best route of communication between 
the -Vtlantic and Western waters, " by means of a canal between the tide-water of the 
Hudson and Lake Erie. ' ' 



;i84 THE E.Ml'lKK SIATK. 

Tlio resolntioii was ailoptoil, aiul tlio siiiii of SfinO was appropriated fur 
surveys to bo iiuide uiidur tliu direi-tioii of the siirv'eyor-yoneral. 'I'liis 
was tlie first legislative iiioveiiieiit in reference to the Erie Canal. 

Survcyor-(Teiioral Do Witt oiiiployod Mr. Goddes to survey a route 
from Lake Erie to the Cionesee Kiver, and thence to the waters flowin<r 
into Seneca Lake. His favorable report attracted great attention. Do 
AVitt Clinton was then a member of the State Senate, and became deeply 
interested in the matter. Tie warmly espoused the project. So also 
did Stephen van Rensselaer in the Assendily. The matter rested until 
the next year, when, on motion of Senator Jonas Piatt, commissioners 
were ap])ointod to explore the whole route for a canal through the centre 
of tlio State from Lake Erie to the Hudson River.* It was accom- 
])lish(Ml. 

In April, ISll, an act was passed to provide for the "improvement 
of the internal navigation of the State." Efforts were made to obtain 
aid from the ?vatioiia! (loverninent and otherwise. The commissioners 
Avcro authorized to make application to Congress or to any State or 
Territory, and request them to co-operate with Now York in the jiroject. 
Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton were added to the commission. 

Early in December Messrs. Clinton and Morris appeared ])eforo Con- 
gress and endeavored to obtain an appropriation for the work, but were 
unsuccessful. This failure was a fortuiuite circumstance, for it allowed 
the State of New York to construct the canal alono and unaided, and so 
to secure to itself the undivided honor of the achievement and the undis- 
puted possession and control of the great work for all time. The pride 
and patriotism of the people of the State were effectually appealed to, 
and in Juno, 1812, the Legislature passed an act authorizing the com- 
missioners to l)orrow S5,(i(i(i, ()()(> on the credit of the State. But the 
war with (ireat Britain, which br(tke out at that time, ca\ised a suspen- 
sion of the work, and the law was repealed in IJSl-I. 

A few months after the restoration of peace the subject w;us revived. 
By the exertions of Thomas Eddy f a public meeting was held at New 

* The commissioners were Gouverneur Morris, Stephen van Rensselaer. I)e Witt 
Clinton. Simeon I)e Witt, 'William North, Thomas Eikiy, and Peter B. Porter. 

■f Thomas ICddy wa.s a philanthropist and an eminently public-spirited man. He \va.s 
born in Philadelphia in September, 1758. and died in New York City in 1827. His 
parents were Quakers, and he, a birllirijrht memlx>r, remained so until his death. He 
made New York his residence! in early life, and was a successful insurance broker there 
Mr. Eddy was active in oriirlnatini: the " Penitentiary System" of New York, and iu 
1801 he published an admirable work on the vStatc prisons of New York. He was lonir 
a governor of the New Yi>rk Hospital, and a director of the Rloominirdale Asylum for 
tlie Insane. Mr. Eddy was one of the chief promoters of the canal system in the State of 



CONSTRUCTION OF TlIK ERIE CANAL. 



385 



York in tlio antiuiin of 1815, wliieli was acldret;sed l)y jVIr. Piatt, Mr. 
Clinton, and others. The hitter more vigorously than ever pressed upon 
the public attention the importance of constructing the projected canal, 
lie devoted his wonderful energies to the subject. In a memorial of the 
citizens of New York, prepared liy Mr. Clinton, such a powerful argu- 
ment in its favor was produced that not only the majority of the people 
of his State approved it, but of other States. Favorable action was 
taken by the Legislature of New 
York in the spring of 181G, and a 
Board of Canal Commissioners was 
created. 

In the spring of 1817 the Legis- 
lature authorized the beginning of 
the construction of the canal. The 
first contract was made in June, 
and the first spadeful of earth 
in the process of excavation was 
thrown up at Home, Oneida Coun- 
ty, on July ith. The middle sec- 
tion, extending frmn the Seneca 
Iliver to Iltica, including a branch 
from S^'racuse to ( )noiulaga Lake, 
was rendered navigable in October, 
1819. The great work was com- 
pleted in 1825, and the first boat — the Sencea Chief — with Mr. Clinton, 
then Governor of tlie State, on board, passed from Lake Erie to the 
Hudson late in the autnnni of that year. The entire cost of the canal 
was over s;»,<iOO,0()0 It was a little over eight years a-l)uilding. 

De Witt Clinton* had taken his seat as Governor of the State in the 
summer of 1817. lie used ail his official and private influence in favor 

New York, Ix'sjinning with the luhmd Lock Naviiration system. The Bibl(^ Society 
fouud in him an efficient friend, and lie was an originator and promoter of banks for 
savings. His benevolent works won for him the title of (lie " American Howard." lie 
lived to see the great Eric Canal in successful operation. 

* De Witt Clinton, son of General Jarao.s Clinton, was born at Little Britain, Orange 
County, N. Y., 3Iarch 2d, 170!); died at Albany, February 11th, 1828. Was gradu- 
ated at Columbia College, and became a lawyer, but practised his profession very little, 
lie was for a long time private secretary to his uncle. Governor George Clinton ; served in 
both branches of the New York Legislature, and from 1708 to 18(12 was the r>emocralic 
leader in the State Senate. Between 1803 and 181 4 ho served as JIayor of New York City 
ciglit years. He took a very active part in jiromoting iniblic education ; was one of the 
founders of the New York Historical Society and of the Academy of Fine .Vrts, and, 
l)eing ojniosed to the AYar of 1812-15, he was the peace candidate; for President of the 




DE WITT CLINTON. 



38G TlIK EMPIKK STATE. 

of tlio t'liiial. Tliere was eoiitintial aii<l powerful opposition to tlic proj- 
ect almost to tlie hour of its completion ; Imt his faith in its vast impor- 
tance to liis native State and the whole countrv never wavered. He lived 
not onl}' to see it completed and to l)e a participant in the trium])h, lint 
to enjoy most abundant demonstration of the wisdom and sagacity which 
had conceived and carried out to completion that mighty work. To De 
Witt Clinton more than to any other man our country is indebted for 
the Erie Canal ; and the city of Xew York owes him a debt of gratitude 
it can never repay for its wonderful growth in wealth and population to 
which that great work so powerfully contributed. It is not creditable 
to the citizens of tlic metropolis that among the many statues of eminent 
xVmerieans and foreigners which appear in their public places no 
memorial of stone or bronze has ever been erected in their city in com- 
jnemoration of their great benefactor, Dk Wrrr Cr.ixTo.v. 

At the lieginning of ISld tlie two great political parties in the State of 
Kew York v,-ere nearly vi^wA in numerical strength. Tlie Democrats 
renominated Tomjikins for governor, and the Federalists nominated 
Jonas Piatt, of Oneida, for the same ofiice. The canvass was very 
active, and the election was hotly contested. The Federalists felt that 
if Tompkins should be re-elccfed their recently gained political ascend- 
ancy in the State might be lost, perhaps forever. Yet they had strong 
hopes of their success. Their opponents were doubtful of the result, 
and both parties struggled mightily for victory. Contrary to the expec- 
tation of both, the Democrats completely overthrew the Federalists. 
Tomjikins was re-elected i)y ten thousand majority. The Legislature 
was made strongly Democratic. A new Council of Appointment was 
chosen, and very soon there was an entire change in the incuml)ency of 
offices throughout the State. Political proscription w;is sweejiing and 
severe. 

Three causes comliined to effect this second overthrow of the Federal 
Party in the State at this time— namely, 1. The adoption hy the National 
Government of the more acceptable policy of non-intercourse instead of 
end)argoes ; 2. The rapidly growing feeling of hostility to Great P.ritain 
because of recent events, the germ of a war party having already 
appeared ; and, 3. The influence of the patronage wielded by the 
National Government. 

The quarrel between De AVitt CUntou and a portion of the Democratic 

United Slates in 1812, but was defeated by Madison. Mr. Clinton was one of the 
founders of the Literary and Philosopliical Society of New York, and the most efficient 
promoter of tlic construction of the Erie Canal, lie was Governor of the State in 1817-22 
and 1824-28. . 



CIIIKF CAUSE OF THE WAR OP 1812-15. 387 

Party in tlie t-ity of Xew York, who made Martling's Long Room (then 
iieginning to 1)C known as " Tammany Hall ") their rallying-plaee, was 
then as bitter as ever. Early in 1811 Clinton was nominated for lieu- 
tenant-governor. The " Martling Men," or " Tammanyites," nominated 
Colonel Marinas Willett, and the Federalists nominated Colonel [Xieholas 
Fish. A majority of the Martling men evidently voted for Fish in 
order to defeat Clinton. The latter received in the city only 590 votes, 
and ^Yillett 678, while Fish received 20-1:4. The Federalists carried the 
Assembly ticket by a majority of 1400. The vote in the State was gen- 
erally favorable to the Democrats. Clinton M'as elected by the country 
votes. 

The vear 1812 was made memorable in our historv bv the besrinnina- 
of a two years' war between the United States and Crreat Britain. For 
several years incitements to this result had abounded. The British main- 
tained the doctrine that a British subject can never become an alien, and 
they claimed the right to search neutral vessels for deserters from the 
royal navy, and to carry them away and impress them into the naval 
service of Great Brit:iin without hindrance. The commanders of British 
cruisers had practically asserted this right for many years, and thousands 
of American seamen had been taken from American vessels on the pre- 
tence that they were suspected deserters, and compelled to serve under 
a flag which they detested. To every earnest remonstrance through the 
voice of diplomacy the invariable answer had been : '"It is our ancient 
custom, and we cannot consent to suspend a right upon which the naval 
strength of the empire mainly depends ;"' and, governed by the ethics 
of the mailed hand — •" might makes right" — they persisted. 

The affair of the Cht-sapeake and Leopard, in 1807, in which the 
officers of the latter (a British frigate) forcibly boarded the former (an 
American frigate) and carried off some seamen, one an American, UTider 
pretence that they were deserters, aroused a war spirit in the United 
States. It was again awakened in 180'J !)y the disavowal by the British. 
Government of an arrangement made in good faith with the British 
Minister at Washington concerning a repeal of an Order in Council, 
already alluded to ; and again in 1811, when British cruisers were sent 
to prowl along the American coast with aiithority to seize American 
merchant vessels and send them to England as lawful [)rizes. 

These recent outi-ages, coupled with those of the past, and that of 
inciting the Indians in the North-west to make war on the frontier settle- 
ments of the United States beyond the Ohio River, became unendurable. 
On June 2(lth, 1812, President Madison, by the authority of Congress, 
issued a declai-atiou of war against Great Britain, and Congress made 



388 TIIK K.Ml'lltl-: STATE. 

provision nccordinijly. A l;ir<j;e inajority of that hody ami the people of 
the repnhlic favored the measure, yet there was general anxiety to avoid 
the calamity of war if possible. There was also a larj^e and powerful 
])arty, composed chiefly of Federalists, who were decidedly opposed to 
hostilities, and considered the declaration of war as premature. Tiiei-e 
M'as also an active faction known as the " Peace Party," pledged to east 
olistaclcs in the way of the Ciovernment so long as hostilities should last. 
This disloyal faction was exceedingly mischievous during the whole war. 

The authorities of several States took positive action against affording 
aid to the (iovermnent in carrying on the war. The governors of 
Massachusetts, Xew Hampshire, and Connecticut refused to conijily with 
the requisition of the National Government for militia, and set the 
President at defiance. The governors of two or three other States 
approved their course, and others were lukewarm, while others took their 
places promptly on the side of the National Government. The Legisla- 
ture of Pennsylvania rebuked the governors of the three New England 
States ; that of Ohio did the same, and said : " The man who would 
desert a just cause is unworthy to defend it."' The governor of the 
then new State of Louisiana, just admitted into the LTnion, said : " If 
ever war was justifiable, the one which our country has declared is that 
war. If ever a people had cause to repose in the confidence of their 
Government, we are the people." Vermont w;us also loyal, and the 
Governor of the State of New York (Mr. Tompkins), which then con- 
tained a population of fully one million, exhorted the people to give a 
hearty support to the National Government. The New York delegates 
in Congress did not vote for a declaration of M-ar. 

During the war that ensued the inhabitants of New York bore their 
full share of the burdens imposed, as active participants in the stirring 
events or as p:issive siifferere of calamities incident to a state of war. 
In that contest, as in former times, the northern frontiei"s of the State 
were peculiarly exposed to invasion by land and water. 

At the time of the declaration of war the troops and military defences 
on the northern frontiei" of New "\'ork possessed very little aggregate 
strength. So on the other side. Tiiere were only about fifteen hundred 
regular troops in Tpper Canada, but in Lower Canada there were about 
six thousand. At tlie foot of Lake Erie, o]»posite Puffalo, was Fort 
Erie, with a small garrison. At near the month of the Niagara Iviver 
wiis Fort George, a small earthwork witli wooden palisades, mounting a 
few guns not heavier than nine-pounders ; and a little above Niagara 
Falls was Fort Chippewa, a small stockade. At York (now Toronto), 
on the north shore of Lake Ontario, was an old fort and a block-house, 



I 



DETROIT SURRENDERED TO THE BRITISH. 389 

and at the eastern extremity of tlie lake, near Kiiig-ston, was a small 
1 lattery of nine-pounders. 

Tiiere was very little hostile movement on the soil of Xew York, 
excepting that of preparation, until mid-autmnn in the year 1812. \Tar 
had actually begun in the "West and on the ocean. Colonel William 
Hull, then Govei'nor of Michigan, was commissioned a brigadier- o-eneral 
and authorized to invade Canada on its western frontier in the summer 
of IS] 2. lie crossed the Detroit River with a small force and encamped 
at Sandwich, but was soon compelled to return to Detroit, where he was 
menaced liy a British force under General Sir Isaac Brock early in August. 
Alarmed by intelligence from the north, he surrendered his whole army 
and the territory to the British on August ICtii. Meanwhile Fort 
Mackinaw, one of the strongest posts of the United States in the North- 
west, had been surprised and captured (July 17th) Ijy an allied force of 
British and Indians. An escort of supplies for Hull, under Major 
Van Ilorne, had been defeated below Detroit, and Fort Dearborn, on 
the site of the (present.) great city of Chicago, had been taken by 
Indians, and most of the girrison, with women and children, had been 
slaughtered. 

These events aroused the most intense indigiuition throughoTit the 
country. Volunteers from Kentucky and Ohio pressed toward the 
North-west to retrieve the disaster at Detroit, and the most active 
preparations were made for an invasion of Canada on the Niagara 
frontier. 

The authorities of the State of New York had been vigilant ever since 
light war-clouds had been seen in the political tirniament, so early as 
ISdT. In order to enforce the revenue laws on the Canadian frontier, 
the Governor of New Y'ork, in February, 1808, ordered five hundred 
stand of arms to be deposited at Champion, in (present) Jefferson 
County, and the following year he caused an arsenal to be built 
at Watertown, on the Black River, twelve miles from Sackett's 
Harbor. 

By a general order issued from the War Department on April 21st, 
1S12, the detached militia of tlie State of New York were arranged in 
two divisions and eight brigades. Stephen van Rensselaer l^the patroon), 
of Albany, was poniraissioned major-general and assigned to the com- 
mand of the First Division, and Benjamin Mooers, of Plattsburg, was 
appointed to the same office and assigned to the command of the Second 
Division. The commanders of the eight brigades were : Gerard Steddi- 
ford, of the city of New York ; Reuben Hopkins, of Orange County ; 
Micajah Pettis, of Washington County ; Richard Dodge, of Montgomery 



390 TlIK K.Ml'lltE STATK. 

County ; Jucol) I'rowii,* of JutTerson County ; Daniel Miller, of Cort- 
land County ; AVilliani Wadswortli, of Ontario County, and George 
McClure, of Steuben County. 

In i^Iay a roifiment, coninianded by Colonel C. P. Bellinger, was sta- 
tioned at Sackett's Harbor, and in June the lirst detaclinient of Xew 
York's quota of militia called for by the President was placed under the 
command of General Prown, who was charged with the defence of the 
northern frontier from Oswego to Lake St. Francis, a distance of about 
two hundred miles. 

An armed brig named Oneida had been built at Oswego, on Lake 
Ontario, in ISOi), by Christian Bergh and Henry Eckford, to enforce 
the revenue laws. In the spring of l^^l^ she captured several British 
vessels — violators of these laws. Petaliation followed, ^yhen news of 
the d(!claration of war reached Ogdensburg, on the St. Lawrence, eight 
American trading vessels were lying tliere. They tried to escape to 
Lake Ontario, bearing away some frightened families. Two of them 
were captured by armed men in ))oats led h\ a Canadian ])artisan, and 
were plundered and burnt. The other si.x returned to Ogdensl)urg. 
This was tlie beginning of war on the northern frontier of New York. 

Lieutenant Melancthoii "Woolscy was in command of the Oneida, and 
he and General Brown were vested with full authority to repel invasion 
fi'om Canada and to protect the inhabitants on the frontier. Pc-enforce- 
mentsof militia were called out fi-oni the northern counties, and measures 
were taken to concentrate a considerable force at Ogdensburg and Cape 
A'inccnt, for the twofold [)Hrpose of guarding the frontier and keeping 
Kingston, the chief military station of the British on the lake, in a state 
of continual alarm. 

Late in July a squadron of live small British armed vessels entered 
Sackett's Harbor. Tliey carried an aggregate of eighty-two guns. The 
Oneida was in the harbor, and seemed to be in great peril. Woolsey 
attempted to gain the lake, but failed. He moored his vessel to a 
position where her broadside of nine guns might be brought to bear on 

* .Jacob Brown was born in Pennsylvania in >Iay, 1775, of Quaker parentage. He 
died in Wsishington City in February, 1828. lie was lirst a scliool-tcaclier, then a land 
surveyor, and finally became a lawyer. While General Hamilton was acting chief eora- 
niander of the army intended to lijrht the French in 1798, Brown wius his secretary. He 
settled upon lands he had ]iiir<hascd on tlie Black River, not far from Sackett's Harbor, 
and was the founder of Brownsville. He became a eounty judge, a militia general, and 
was jilaced in command of the northern frontier of Xew York in 1H13. He performed 
eminent service during the war, and reeeived the thanks of Congress and a gold medal. 
He was made general-inchicf of the army in 1821. At his death his remains were 
interred in the Congressional burying-ground. 



A CONTEST AT SACKKTTS HAUHOU, 391 

the enemy. The remainder of her gnns were taken out and placed in 
battery on hind. An iron thirty-two-pounder liad already been placed 
ill a battery, with three nine-pounders, on a rocky bluff at the foot of the 
main street of the village. It had long been lying in the niud near by, 
and was named the Old Soio. These guns, with two nine-pounders and 
two six-pounders, constituted the artillery for the defence of tlie harbor. 
The soldiers consisted of a few regulars, three hundred militia, and a 
portion f)f the crew of the O/N'/dn, with Woolsey at their head. 

Tiie flag-ship of the attacking scpiadron was the llvyal George. Wiien 
the vessels were near enough for action the l)attle was begun by a shot 
from the big iron cannon on shore. It was harmless, and drew peals of 
derisive laughter from the crew of the tiag-ship, followed by two shots. 
Firing was kept iTp for aliout two hours, the squadron standing, off and 
on, out of range of the smaller guns. Most of the enemy's shot had 
fallen against the rocks below the battery. At length a thirty-two- pound 
ball came over the bluff, struck the earth, and ploughed a deep furrow. 
It was picked up by a sergeant, who ran with it to Captain Yaughan, 
who was in command of the Old Sine, exclaiming : 

" I've been playing ball with the redcoats, and have caugiit 'em out. 
See if the British can catch back again." 

The ball exactly fitted the old cannon, while those which had been 
sent did not. At that moment the lioyal George was nearing, to give 
a broadside, when the big gun sent back the captive ball with such force 
and jirecision that it struck her stern, raked her completely, sent splinters 
as high as her mizzen-topsail, and killed fourteen men and wounded 
eighteen. 

The flag-ship had already received a shot that went through her sides, 
and another Ijctween wind and water. Two other vessels had been 
severely cri])pled, and a signal for retreat was speedily given. The 
s^piadron sailed out on the lake while the band on shore played " Yaidcee 
Doodle" in the liveliest manner, and tlie soldiers and citizens cheered the 
retreating enemy in their departure. It was a serene Sabbath morning, 
and at evening the village was as quiet as ever. 

The command of Lake Ontario M-as now an object of great inqiortance 
to both parties, and each put forth extraordinary exertions to that end. 
To obtain this advantage required the speediest preparation. The six 
American trading vessels were yet at Ogdensburg. To save and arm 
them was an important object to the Americans ; to destroy them was 
•an equally important object to the British. The latter sent two armed 
vessels down the St. Lawrence to destroy them ; the Americans sent a 
small force to protect them. The belligerents met eleven miles above 



392 



Tin: EMl'IKE STATE. 




Ogdeiishnrjj ;ui(l fnu<;lit three liours, wlicii tlic I'ritisli vessels witlidrew- 
to the Canada sliore. The armistice tliat soon followed allowed the six 
vessels to be taken to the lake and converted into warriors. 

Captain Isaac Chauncey was appointed conmiander-in-cliief of the navy 
to be created on Lake Ontario. In Septenii)er (1S12) he sent forty shij)- 
carpenters to Sackett's Harbor, with Henry Eckford * at their head. 

Others soon followed. Commander 
Woolsey was directed to purchase 
merchant vessels for the service. 
Later, in September, one hundred 
officers and men, with guns and 
other munitions of war, left New 
York for Sackett's Harbor, and 
very soon a rcsj)ectal>le little Ameri- 
can fleet was afloat on the lake. At 
the same time the British had been 
busy at Kingston in creating a navy 
having a weight of metal double 
that of the Americans. 

During the summer of ls\2 the 
National Government matured a 
plan for the invasion of Canada on 
the Niagara frontier. The militia 
of the State of New York mider General Van Rensselaer were ordered to 
concentrate near the Niagara River, chiefly at Lewist(m ; and from that 
point the first demonstration against the neighboring province from New 
York was made. In contemplation of such a movement, the British 
jjosted troo])s in a strong position at Queenstown, opposite Lewistou. 
General Dearborn, t the commander-in-chief of the Northern Depart- 

* Henry Eckford was a famous naval constructor. He was born in Scotland in March. 
1775, and died in Constantinople in November, 1832. He learned (he art of ship Iniildinsr 
at Quelx'C, and bejiun the business on his own account at New York in 17!Mi. where he 
soon look the lead in his profession. He construcled many vessels for the Government 
durinj; the AVar of 1812-1."), and soon afterward built the sleam.ship }i"/itrt Fulton, in 
which, in 1822, he made the fii-st succcssfid trip in a craft of that kind, to New Orleans 
and Havana. He was naval constructor at the Brooklyn Navy- Yard several years, and 
afterward made ships of war for European powers. In 1831 lie built a war vessel for the 
Sultan of Turkey, and, goin^ to Constantinople, oriranized a navy-yard there. 

■f Henry Dearborn was born in New Hampshire in Ft'bniary, 17."(1. and died at 
Roxbury, Mass.. in .June. 1829. lie became a physician, studied military .science, and 
joined the little patriot army al CaMd>ridj;e with si.xty volunteers on the day after the 
skirmish at Lexington. .\s a captain in Slark's rejriment he foujrht at Bunker (Breed's) 
Hill, accompanied Arnold in his expedilion against QucIm'c, and was made prisoner 



UE.NKY nr.AUIioHN. 



BATTLE OP QUEENSTOWN. 393 

iiient, hiiil concluded an armistice in the summer witli tlie chief British 
commander in Canada, and tin's caused dehiy in the gatherinji; of troops 
on the Xiagara. But at length A"an Rensselaer found himself in com- 
mand of about six thousand troops scattered along the river from 
Lewiston to Buffalo, and he resolved to invade the neighboring province, 
from Lewiston, on the night of October 12th, and take the British bv 
surprise. 

Intense darkness brooded over the waters and the land, for a heavy 
storm was just ending. It was three hours past midnight when Colonel 
Solomon van Rensselaer, in connnand of six hundred men, was ready to 
cross the swift-running stream in Ijoats to storm the British works on 
Queenstown Heights. There wera only boats enough to convoy less 
tlian one half his force. AVith the brave three hundred he pushed across 
in the gloom. The British were on the alert, for they liad discovered 
the movement of the New Yorkers ; and when Van Rensselaer landed, 
his little force was fiercely assailed with musketry and a small field-piece. 
A battery on Lewiston Heights responded to this tiring, when the 
British tied toward Queenstown, followed by some regulars imder 
Captains Wool and Oglevie, wlu>, pushing gallantly up the hill, pressed 
the British back to the plateau on which the village stands, fought them 
there, and finally gained possession of Queenstown Heights. 

Colonel Van Rensselaer, who had followed with the militia, was so 
severely woniided that he was comjjelled to relinquish the command and 
recross the river. Wool, who was now in chief command, was also badly 
wounded, a bullet having passed through the fleshy part of both his 
thighs ; but, unmindful of his wounds, he would neither leave the field 
nor give up the command until the arrival of his senior officer, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Christie, who had been in a boat whi(!h lost its way in the 
darkness in crossing the river. 

General Sir Isaac Brock, the Governor of Upper Canada, to whom 
General Hull had surrendered in August, was at Fort George, several 
miles below Queenstown, when the firing began. lie hastened to the 
scene of action, and with his staff pressed up the heights to a redan 
battery, where they dismounted. They were suddenly startled by the 

there. He served faithfully during the whole war, and in 1781 was one of Washington's 
military family, with the rank of colonel, at the siege of Yorktown. He tilled several 
civil offices after tlie war, and was a member of Congress from 1793 to 1797. .Jefferson 
appointed liim Secictary of War in 1801. From 1809 until called to the head of the 
Army of the Northern Department by Madison, in 1812, he wits collector of the port of 
Boston. In 1822 he was sent to Portugal as .Vmcrican Minister, where he remained two 
vears, when lie returned to Roxbtu'v. 



394 



TIIK K.MIMKK STATK. 



crack of iiiuskotrv. Wool and his followor.s were close upon them. 
Brock ;iik1 liis aides had not time to remount, l)ut tied down tlie hill, lead- 
ing theirhorM's at full gallop. They were followed Iiy the dozen men 
wlio maimed the lia.tterv. and in a few moments afterward tlie American 
tiai; waa unfurled over that little work. 



(' , ,1 




jr-^ — 







AN. INf'lDKXT AT THE liATTI.E OK (jrKEXSTOWN. 



Brock placed himself at tlie head of some troops to retake the hattery 
and drive Wool from the heights. The Americans were pressed hack to 
the verge of the precipice two hundred feet ahove the rushing Niagara. 
Seeing the peril of the little hand, who were in danger of being hurled 



BATTLE ON QUEENSTOWN HEIGHTS. 



395 



into the flood below, Captain Oglevie raised a white handkerchief on the 
point of a bayonet in token of surrender. Wool sprang forward, 
snatched the token of submission, addressed a few stirring words to his 
men, Itegging them to fight as long as they held a weapon, and then, 
waving his sword, so inspirited his comrades to a renewal of the fight, 
that they soon made the British veterans break and fly down the hill in 
confusion. Brock rallied them, and they were about to reascend the 
heights when their commander was mortally wounded at the foot of the 
declivity. At the end of a brief 
struggle the British fled a mile 
below Queenstown. After three 
distinct battles young Wool (then 
only twenty-four yeai's of age) 
was left master of the heights, 
with two hundred and forty men. 
Soon afterward Brigadier-fTcn- 
eral Wadsworth, of the New 
York militia, took the chief com- 
mand. 

General Sheaffe succeeded 
Brock in command, and rallied 
the troops. Lieutenant-Colonel 
"Winfield Scott, who had arrived 
at Lewiston, crossed the river 
and joined the troops as a volun- 
teer, when he was requested to 

take active command. Early in the afternoon quite a large nund)cr of Ind- 
ians, painted and plumed and led by John Brant, a son of the famous chief, 
fell with great fury upon the American pickets, uttering the horrid war- 
whoop. The militia were about to flee, when Scott, by his voice and 
commanding presence, inspired the troops to fall upon the barbarians. 
The Indians fled to the woods in terror. 

General Van Eensselaer,* who stood by the side of Scott, seeing the 
troops under General Sheaffe pressing forward, hastened across the river 




STEPHEN VAN RENSSELAER. 



* Sfi'phcii Viin Rensselaer, the last of tlie patroons, was born in New York City, 
November 1st. 1T64 ; died at thi^ :Maiu)r House at Albany, .laimary 2Gth, 183'J. He wjis 
the fifth in lineal descent from Killian van Rensselaer, the first jiatroon. His mother was 
a ilauiibter of Philip Livingston. He married a daughter of General P. Schuyler. Mr. 
Van Rensselaer sei-\-ed in both branches of the Legislature, and from 1T9.J to 1801 he was 
Lieutenant-Governor of the State. He presided over the Constitutional Convention of 
the State in 1801, and was made one of the first Canal Commissioners In 1810. He was 



390 THK EMI'IUE STATE. 

to soml over re-eiiforcemeiits of militia. They refused to go, jileading 
that tlioy -were not eoiupellod to leave the soil of their country ami 
invade that of another. Very soon overwlielniiiig numbers compelled 
the Americans to surrender, and they were made prisoners. They lost 
on that memorable day (October Vh\i, l^i'2), in killed, wounded, and 
prisoners, about eleven Inuidred men. Van Rensselaer left the service, 
and was succeeded by General Alexander Smythe, of Virginia, who 
accomplished nothing of importance during the remainder of the season. 

president of the Canal Roard fifteen years. He wivs made commander of the Slate 
cavahy in 1801, with tlie ranli of major-general ; and when war bejran in 1812 he was 
the chief of the militia of the State. lie became a Regent and Chancellor of the State 
University ; wa.s a member of the State Constitutional Convention in 1821, and of Con- 
gress from 1823 to 1829. At his own expense and under his direction a geological survey 
of the State was made in 1821-23. and in 1824 he established at Troy, X. Y., a scientific 
school for the instruction of teachers. 



NxVVAL OPERATIONS ON THE SEA. 397 



CHAPTER XXA^II. 

While the American armies were suffering defeat and humiliation, 
and tlie disasters became a staple topic for rebuke of the Democratic 
administration in the mouths of its opponents, the little American navy 
was winning honors and renown for its skill and prowess on the ocean. 
At that time the British navy comprised one thousand and sixty vessels, 
while that of the United States, exclusive of small gun-boats, nunil)ered 
only twenty. Two of these were unseaworthy, and one was on Lake 
Ontario. Nine of the American vessels were of a class less than frigates, 
and none of them could well compare in appointments with those of the 
enemy. Yet the Americans went boldly out upon the ocean in their 
ships to meet the war-vessels of the proudest maritime nation on the 
earth, and won victory after victory. 

Connnodoro Ilodgers * was at Sandy Hook, ]^. Y., with the frigates 
President, Congress, and United States, and the sloop-of-war Hornet, 
in June, 1812 ; and on the day after the declaration of war was pro- 
claimed he put to sea in pursuit of a British squadron which had sailed 
as a convoy of the West India merchant fleet. Ho abandoned the chase 
at midnight, and returned to his anchorage. He had a slight skirmish 
with the enemy. 

On August 19th the American frigate Constitution, Commodore Isaac 
Hull, fought the British frigate Guerriere, Captain Daeres, some distance 
off the American coast, in the present track of ships plying between 
New York and Great Britain. The contest lasted about forty minutes. 
Hull was victorious. The Guerriere had become such a complete wreck 
tliat he i)urned her. This victory had a powerful effect on the public 
mind in both countries. 

On October ISth the American sloop-of-war Wasp, Captain Jones, 
captured the British brig Frolic off the coast of North Carolina, after a 

* John Kodjrers was born in Jlaniuud in 1T71, and diud in Pliiladelpliia in .Vugust, 
1838. He euterod thi' navy as lieutenant in 1798, and was exeetilive officer of the frigate 
ConifUtntinn under Truxton. From 1802 to 1806 he did good serviee in the Mediter- 
ranean. In the spring of 1811, in comrnand of the Pivddent, lie had an encounter with 
the Little Belt. His services were conspicuous during the War of 1812-1"). He wa.s 
acting Secretary of tlic Navy in 1823. For a long time he was a member of the Board of 
Naval ComiTiissioners, which he left the year before his death. 



398 Till-: K.Ml'lHi: STATE. 

severe contlict of forty-five niiimtes. Out of tlio 7u'olic\i ooiiipiiny of 
eif;;litv-four iiieii and l)oy8 only three officers ami one seaman remained 
unhurt at the close of the battle. They had been either slain or iiadly 
wounded. The Waxj) lost only ten men. In the afternoon of the same 
day the JJritish ship Puirtierx, seventy-four, recaptured the prize and 
seized the victor. A week later (October 2.5th) the American frigate 
United Siitfrs, Captain Decatur, fought the British frigate Mad (huria, 
MX'stward of the Canary Islands, for almost two hours, and captured her. 
She had been greatly damaged in the conflict, and lost more than one 
hundred men, killed and wounded, while Decatur lost only live men 
killed and seven wounded. A few weeks later (December 2l»th) the 
Constitution, Commodore Bainbridge, captured the British frigate Java, 
after a fierce battle for almost three hours, off San Salvador, on the coast 
of Brazil. The Java had four hundred men on board, of whom more 
than one half were killed or wounded. The Java was so much injured 
that she could not be kept afloat, and was burned. 

These victories greatly elated and inspirited the Americans. They 
had also sent out numerous privateers that struck British commerce 
heavy blows in every direction. During the latter half of tlie year 1S12 
ni>ward of fifty British armed vessels of various sizes, and two hundred 
and tifty inerchantnien, with an aggregate of over three thousand pris- 
oners and a vast amount of booty, were captured liy the Americans. 
British pride was fearfully wouiuled in a tender ])art, and the favorite 
national song, 

" liril^iiiiiin, KrilMimiii rules tlic waves," 

was sung in ajninor key by the boasted '' ^listress of the Seas." 

These events strengthened the national admiiu.stration, and Mr. 
Madison M-as re-elected I'rcsident of the Uiuted States in the autumn of 
1812 by an increased majority, with Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts, 
Vice-President. Gerry's venerable predecessor, George Clinton, had 
died in the spring of the same year.* 



* Georgo Clinton was born in Ulster County, X. Y.. in .luly, 1T:W, ami died in Wasli- 
ington. D. ('.. in April. lsr>. In early youth he made a s\ieee.s,sful cruise in a privateer 
during the French and Indian War, and was in the e.\])edilion against Fori Fronlenac 
in lTr).S. lie studied law under William Smith, became a member of the Provincial 
Assembly of New Y(jrk in 1708, and was a leading Whig. In 1775 he became a member 
of the Continental Congress, and voted for the resohition for independence in June, 1T76, 
but was in the military service when the Declaration of Indepondenec was adopted. As 
brigadier he performed important services. He was elected the first Governor of the 
State of New York in 1777, and retained the office, by re-election, eighteen years. In 
1788 ho presided over the convention at Poughkecpsie which ratified the National Consti- 



A BANK CIIARTEK IX POLITICS. 



399 



The political situation, in l^ew York was still in a state of effervescence 
owing to the continued bitterness of the riuarrel between the " Clin- 
tonians"' and the '' Martling men," or the "Regular Democracy." 
Tlie latter had "read" De Witt Clinton " out of the party ;" hut he 
was a power too strong to be repressed by such " paper Ijlockades.'' At 
the same time another important and disturbing cpiestion arose for dis- 
cussion — namely, a i)r(iposition for an increase of the paper currency of 
the States, l)y chartering a bank to be located in the city of New York, 
with a capital of S<;.0oo,000, to be called the "Bank of America." 
The petitioners for tlie charter 
of the bank offered the extrava- 
gant bonus of 8000, Ouo, to be 
paid in the following manner 
and for the following purposes : 
$4-00,000 to the common-school 
fund ; $100,000 to the literature 
fund ; and 8100,000 to be paid 
into the Treasury at the end of 
twenty years, provided no other 
bank should in that time be 
chartered by the State. The sum 
of $1,000,000 was also to be 
loaned to the State at five per 
cent interest, to be laid out in con- 
structing canals, and $1,000,000 
to be loaned to farmers. Solo- 
mon Southwick, then a brilliant 
young man and editor of the 

Albany Register, the accredited organ of the Democratic Party in the 
State, and a devoted and confidential friend of De Witt Clinton, was 
one of the most persistent and efficient agents in efforts to procure the 
proposed bank charter. 

It was suspected that the l)ank would be used as a political machine, 
like the Manhattan Bank, and there was much opposition to it. Mr. 
Clinton avowed that he was opposed to it on other grounds, and protested 
against making support of or o]jposition to it a test of political merit. 
Mr. Southwick echoed Mr. Clinton's sentiments in the ii'cy/.s/t'/' by say- 
ing : " He who supports or opposes a bank iipon the grounds of Federal- 

tution, to which he was opposed. He was again elected governor in 1801, and in 1804 
WHS chosen Vice-President of tlie United States, wliieh otiice lie filled until his death. 
His remains rest in the Congressional biuving-ground at Washington. 




GEORGE CLINTON. 



400 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

ism or Repnl)licanisni is eitlicr a deceiver or deceived, and will not lie 
listened to \>\ any man of cx])ericnce." 

The friends of the bank in the Legislature determined that nothing of 
inipi)rtance slionlil be done in that body until their favorite meiu^nre 
sliouhl be adopted. They resorted to anotlier measure to force Mr. 
Clinton and his friends to favor t\n: bill for the charter of the bank. 
They all professed to favor his 7iomination for the jjresidency of the 
United States, to which he aspired, by a legislative Democratic caucus ; 
but liy one pretence and another they refused to go into caucus on that 
subject until after the (picstion of ciiartering the baid< should l)e disposed 
of. This course exceedingly aunoj'ed Mr. Clinton, for he desired that 
the nomination, if made by the Legislature of T^ew York, should be 
announced before a Congressional nomination of ^[r. Madison should l>e 
declared. 

A crisis was suddenly reached. Late in ]\rarcli the enacting clause of 
tlie bank charter bill was passed by a vote of 52 to 40, when some start- 
ling disclosures were made of attempts to brilie members of both houses 
by frienils of the measure. Notwithstanding these damaging disclosures, 
the bill was passed by a vote of 58 to 30. It was sent to the Senate, 
where it was evident it would be almost immediately adopted. Governor 
Tompkins, who had watched tiie measure with keen vigilance, satisfied 
that it would be forced through by corrupt means, prorogued the Legis- 
lature on ^Lircli 2Tth until ^[ay 21st. His message announcing his act 
fell like a thunderbolt on both houses, and a scene of wildest confusion 
and u])roar ensued ; but the legislators were compelled to submit to the 
inevitable. 

When the Legislature i-eassembled tiie bill for the charter oi the Dank 
of America, which had produced so much social and political commo- 
tion, was promptly passed, all the Federalists in both liouses voting 
for it. Lnmediately afterward a meeting of the Democratic mcndiere 
of the Legislature was held (May 2Sth, 1812), by which Mr. Clinton was 
nominated as the candidate of the State of New York for the presidency 
of the TTnited States. They recommended bis sup])ort to the Denuicratic 
Party throughout the republic. 

Mr. Clinton and his friends bavins been rather lukewarm on the sub- 
ject of war, the Feilcralists felt kindly towanl him. The Clintonian 
members of Congress from New York voted against the declaration of 
war. At tbe election most of tbe Federalists voted for ]\[r. Clinton. 
In the Electoral College lie received eighty-nine votes, and Mr. ]\[adison 
received one hundred and twenty-eight votes. Clinton's course, regarded 
as coquetry with the Federalists, lost him the friendship of many of his 



MILITARY MOVEMENTS ON THE NORTHERN FRONTIER. 401 

party at home. An iiiniieiise majority of the Democrats of New York 
City, where the " Tammanyites" were influential, l>ocame opposed to 
him politically, and these influenced the party in the State. 

There were some hostile movements on the Canada frontier of New 
York near the St. Lawrence in the antnmn of 1S12 and in the M'inter of 
1813. Late in September Major Benjamin Forsythc, with a company of 
riflemen, appeared on tlie southern hank of the St. Lawrence, and after 
some exploits among the Thousand Islands, he took post at Ogdensburg. 
General Brown arrived there on October 1st, and on the same day a 
large flotilla of British hateaux, escorted hy a gun-boat, appeared at 
Prescott, on the opposite side of the river. On October 4th this flotilla 
Lore armed men across the stream to attack Ogdensburg, when about 
fifteen hundred American regulars and militia at that place repulsed the 
invaders. 

Nearly three weeks later a detachment of ahout two liundred militia, 
chiefly from Troy, N. Y., led from French Mills by j\Lijor G. I). 
Dudley, captured a larger portion of a British detachment stationed at 
the Indian village of St. Regis, which lies on the boundary-line between 
the United States and Canada. The late Governor !Marcy, of New 
York, then a lieutenant, captured a British flag with his own hands. It 
was the first trophy of the war taken on the land. 

Early in Noveniljer Commodore Chauncey* appeared on Lake Ontario 
with a little sipiadron of armed schooners. With these he made a cruise 
toward Kingston, and after a slight skirmisli he blockaded a British 
squadron in Kingston llarbor. In this cruise of a few days he disabled 
the Royal George, destroyed one armed schooner, captured three mer- 
chant vessels, and took several prisoners. Leaving vessels to blockade 
the harbor until ice should seal it, he cruised toward the western end of 
the lake, and soon returned to Sackett's Plarbor. The ao:gregate amoimt 
of metal carried by his squadron was less than fifty guns, and the aggre- 
gate numl)er of his men was only four hundred and thirty, including 
nuiriues. 

Meanwhile some stirring events had occurred at the head of the 

* Isaac Chauncey was born in Conneoticnt in Filiiuaiy. 1T72, and died at Washing- 
ton, D. C, in January, 1840. At the age of nineteen he eomniaiuled a mercliant ship, 
and he made voyages to tlie East Indies in ships belonging to .1. J. Astor. He entcretl 
the nav-y as lieutenant in ]S()2. and had become captain in 180(i. During the War of 
1813-15 he was commander-in-chief of the United States naval force (m Lake Ontario. 
After the war he commanded the 5Iedilerranean squadron, and assisted in negotiating a 
treaty with Algiers. He was Naval Commissioner at Washiuglon in 1820, and held tlie 
same position from 1833 until his death. His remains lie in the Congressional burying- 
ground. 



402 



THE E.MIMHE ESTATE. 



Niagara River. Black Rock, near Buffalo, liad been chosen as a place 
for the construction of war-vessels for service on Lake Erie. Lieutenant 
J. D. Elliott had been sent tliither l)y Chauncej as superintendent. A 
few days before the affair at Queenstown two British merchant vessels — 
Caledonia and Detroit — had come down the Like ami ancliored under 
the protection of the guns of Fort Erie, opposite BuH'alo. Elliott deter- 
mined to seize them. At midnight (October 8th) he crossed the river in 
boats with one hundred and twenty men, and surprised and captured 
both vessels witli all their peojile. The .shouts of men at Buffalo and 
Black Rock wlio witnessed the exploit aroused the garrison at Fort Erie, 
who l)rt)uglit great guns to bear upon the assailants. A fierce struggle 
for the possession of the captured vessels ensued. The Caledonia was 




FOUT NIAOAKA FlidM KOIiT (IKOKOF.. 



secured by the Americans, and was afterward convcrte.l into a war-vessel. 
The Detroit was burned. 

Near the mouth of the Niagara River stood old Fort Niagara, lightly 
garrisoned by the Americans. On November 21st (1812) a heavy 
artillery attack upon this post was carried on from the morning iintil tiie 
evening twilight by five detached batteries on the Canada shore. Two 
thousand red-hot balls and a tempest of bomb-shells were projected upon 
the American works during the day. The cannonading and bombard- 
ment was returned with spirit. The village of Newark, on the Canada 
side, was set on fire several times by bombs, and little Fort George was 
severely pounded by round-shot. Night ended this artillery duel. 

This cannonade and bomliardment aroused General Smythe, Van 
Rensselaer's successor in command at Buffalo, to spasmodic action. lie 
made jireparations for invading Canada at once. In a fiaming jiroclama- 



GENERAL IIARUISOX-S CAMPAIGN. 403 

tion lie said to ]iis soldiers : " Hearts uf war ! to-morrow will be memo- 
rable in tlie annals of the United States. Neither rain, snow, nor frost 
will prevent the embarkation. . . . The landing will be effected in 
despite of cannon." 

" To-morrow" was '"' memorable" for the failure of the boaster to 
cross the Niagara. lie was afraid of Lieutenant-Colonel Bisshopp, who 
commanded a small British force on the Canada side. Smythe was dis- 
missed from the service. He petitioned Congress to be reinstated, ask- 
ing to be allowed to " die for his country." A wag wrote with a jiencil 
on the ]ianel of a door of the House of Representatives : 

" All hail, great chief, who qiiaiU'tl before 
A Bisshopii on Niagara's shore. 
But looks on Death with dauntless eye, 
And begs for leave to bleed and die. 
Oh my :' 

It is not our province to give more than the briefest notices of events 
not specially connected with the history of the State of New York ; 
therefore we present only an outline of stirring scenes elsewhere. 

We have observed that the surrender of Hull and the atrocities of the 
barbarians on the north-western frontier aroused the hottest indignation 
and intense patriotisui of the people west of the Alleghany Mountains. 
In the valleys of the Ohio and the Mississippi the spirit of the old 
crusaders seemed to have been awakened. Volunteers gathered in every 
settlement, and for weeks they found emploj'ment in driving the hostile 
Indians from post to post in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, desolating their 
villages and plantations, and exciting the terrible wrath of the barbarians. 
The people were so eager to smite the British and their dusky allies that 
the campaign of 1813 opened at midwinter, and volunteers were more 
plentiful than were needed. 

General Hull had been succeeded in the command of the Army of the 
North-west by General William II. Harrison (afterward President of the 
United States), and General Sir George Prevost became the successor of 
Brock iu Canada. Harrison marched a crude and undisciplined army 
through a savage wilderness toward Detroit. They built roads and 
block-houses by the way, created magazines of provisions and defended 
them, and protected in a measure a frontier of several hundred miles ia 
extent against the tomahawk and the scalping-knife of murderous savages. 
Ilariison made the vicinity of the T\[aumee luipids, toward the westera 
end of Lake Erie, the place of general rendezvous. 

General Jatnes Winchester, with eight hundred young Kentuckians, 



4(1-1 TIIK K.MPIHE STATE. 

anivcil at the Maumee Rapids in January, 1813. Informed that Britisli 
and Indians were occupying the little settlement of Frenchtown (now 
Munroe, Mich.), on the river Kaisin, he hastened thitlier to dislodge 
tlie intruders. His advanced detachment had driven them out of the 
hamlet on his arriv;d on tlio 2nt!i. (unuM'nl Proctor, witli a fonrc of 
Ih'itisli and Indians (the latter conimandcd l)y Te(ninitiiM), tiicn occupied 
Maiden, on the Detroit River. With iiftecn hundred mi^i of this motley 
army he surprised Winchester at dawn on tiie 'i'iil, made iiiiii a jirisoner, 
and slew many of his men. Winchester surrendered his troo[)s to Proc- 
tor on the condition that they and the settlement shoidd he protected 
against the fury of the barbarians. This promise was quickly violated. 
The sick aiul wounded Americans were left behind when the prisoners 
were marched away. The Indians soon turned back, murdered and 
scalped those who were unable to travel, and took the remainder to 
Detroit, twenty- five miles to the north, in order to procure e.xorbitant 
sums for their rasisom. This perfidy and nuissacre created intense ex- 
citement in Kentucky, for the victims were of the flower of society in 
that State. After that the war-cry of the Kcntuckiuns was, '' Remem- 
ber tiie river Raisin !" 

Harrison advanced innnediately to tlie ilanmee Rapids, where, oppo- 
site the site of present Perrysburg, he built a strong earth\\ork, witli 
bastions, and named it Fort ^leigs. There he was Ijesieged many weeks 
afterward by Proctor and Tecnmtlia and tiieir respective followers. The 
assailants appeared Ijefore the fort at the close of April, and though tiie 
post vvas strong and the gurrison had many great guns mounted, they 
were in imminent peril for a while. The fort was relieved by the arrival 
of forces under General Green Clay, of Kentucky, early in May, and 
the siege was abandoned. Active military operations in the West then 
ceased for a while. 

At Lower Sandusky' (now Fremont, Ohio; was a regular earth and 
stockaded military Avork named Fort Stephenson, garrisoned by one 
hundred and sixty men under the command of young Major George 
(Jroghan, then only twenty-one years of age. In July Proctor and 
Tecumtha, with four thousand followers, again appeared before Fort 
Meigs, but soon left it and puslied across the country to fall upon Fort 
Stephenson. They made a furious attack ujion it, l)ut Croghan and his 
men so skilfully and gallantly defended the post and made such havoc, 
among the assailants that the latter fled in haste and great confusion to 
Detroit. 

The control of Lake Erie Avas as important to both parties as was that 
of Lake Ontario, and to secure it the Americans and the Pritish each 



PERRY'S FLEET ON LAKE ERIE. 



405 



liastened to (create a fleet of war- vessels thereon. The Britisli l>uilt at 
Maiden, the Americans bnilt at Presqne Isle, now Erie, Pa. 

Captain Oliver Hazard Perr3',*a zealous youiifj naval officer of Rhode 
Island, offered his services on the lakes. i\t the middle of January, 
1813, he Avas ordered to report to Commodore Chaiincoy, and to take 
with him all the best men from a flotilla of gnn-hdats wln'ch lie had com- 
manded on Xarraganset Bay. He sent them forward in three companies, 
flfty in each. Meeting Chauncey at Albany, they journeyed together 
through the dark wilderness to Sackett's Harbor in a sleigh. Perry soon 
proceeded to Presqne Isle to superin- 
tend the construction and equipment 
of a navy in that sheltered hai'bor 
to co-operate with Harrison in an 
attenq)t to recover Michigan. 

At Plack Rock Henry Eckford 
liad fashioned five merchant vessels 
into war-craft. These were sent to 
Presque Isle, where Perry had four 
vessels built. Early in July he had 
a squadron of nine vessels ready for 
men and supplies. These Avere de- 
layed several weeks, while a British 
squadron under Commodore Barclay 
was proudly and defiantly patrolling 
the lake. Late in July Perry wrote 

to Chauncey : " Send me men and I will have them all [the British ves- 
sels] in a day or two. . . . Barclay has been beardiiig me for several 
days ; I long to be at him." 

At length Perry left the harl)or, his vessels fully manned, and on 
Septend)er Iflth the two squadrons met toward the western end of the 
lake and engaged in a fierce and sanguinary battle. The flag-ship 
Lmorence, bearing on a lilue burgee the words of the dying hero in 
M-ho.se honor she had been named — ^" Don't give up imc snip " — bore 
the brunt of conflict about two hours, when she lay upon the water an 




OI.TVEK IIAZ.VRn I'EIUiY. 



* Oliver Hazard Perry was born at Soiilli Kingston, R. I., August 33d, 1785 ; diiil in 
Trinidad. W. I., of yellow fever, .Vugust 23d, 1819. He entered the navy as a midship- 
man in 1799, .served in the Tripolitan War, and was called to the command of a fleet on 
Luke Erie in the sunnner of 1813, having first served with Chauncey on Lake Ontario. 
In a liattle on Lake Erie on September 10th, 1813, with a British squadron he gained a 
signal victory. Perry assisted llarri.son in retaking Detroit, late; in 1813. In 1815 he 
commanded the Jdra in Decatur's squadron on the Jleditcrrauean. 



406 THE EMPIHE STATE. 

silinost total wreck. Tho slaugliter liud beoi) ilreadful. Tlio yiatjdra, 
.1 stanch vessel, was near and unhurt. To her Perry went iu a boat, 
throuirh a tempest of bullets and grajje-sliot. lie hoisted his pennant 
over her, dashed through the British line, and in eight minutes after- 
ward the colors of Barclay's Hag-ship, the Detroit, were struck, and all 
l)ut two vessels of his squadron were surrendered. Resting his naval 
cap on his knee, Perry wrote to Harrison, witii a i)encil on tho back of 
a letter, his famous despatch : 

" AYe have met tlie enemy and they are ours ; twu s])ij)s, two brigs, 
one schooner, and (»ne sloop." 

Tlie control of Lake Erie by tlie Amciiciuis M^as iiow secured. Harri- 
son puslied forward toward Detroit. .\ part of liis troops were taken 
across tlie lake on Perry's vessels, i'roctor set tire to Maiden, and tied 
into the interior of Canada with Tecunitha and his Indians. 

Harrison crossed the river and pursued the fugitives. He overtook 
theui at tho Moravian Towns on the little river Thames, where a sharp 
battle was fought on October 5th, 1S13. Tecunitha w'as killed, the 
British were defeated, and Proctor, with a few followers, escaped to the 
head of Lake Ontario. At this battle the Americans recaptured six brass 
field-pieces which had been surrendered by Hull, on two of which were 
engraved the words : " Sukkendeukd by Buroovxe at Sakatooa."' 
These precious relics of the old war for independence are now at West 
Point, on the Hudson. 

\\\ the territory wliicli Hull had lost was now recovered. The Indian 
Confederacy on the north-western border of the re])ublic was broken up, 
and war in that region was ended. 

During the summer of ISlli the I'nited States were involved in war 
with the Indians in the I'egioii of the (iulf of Mexico. In the spring 
Tecuintha went among them to arouse them to wage war on the white 
people. The j)owerful Creeks yielded to his persuasions. Late in 
August a large party of them surprised and captured Fort Menis, on the 
Alal)ama liiver, and massacred about four hundred men, women, and 
children. This event aroused tlie whole South to vigorous retaliation, 
and General Andrew Jackson, afterward President of the United States, 
led twenty-five hundred Tennesseeans into the Creek country, where he 
waged a destructive subjugating war against them. 

Early in Xovcmber (Jcneral Coffee, Jackson's second in command, 
with nine hundred men, siirroundeil an Indian force at Tallashateliee, 
and slew two hundred of them. Not a wari-ior escajied. Within ten 
weeks afterward bloody battles had been fought at Talladt\ga (November 
8th), Autosee (November 29tlO. and Kmuckfaw (January 22d, ISU), 



TUE fllEKOKEE ^■ATIO^' RUIXED. 407 

and several skirmishes had taken phice. The Tennesseeans were always 
victorious, yet they lost many brave soldiers. The Creeks finally estab- 
lished a fortitied camp at the Great Horseshoe Bend of the Tallapoosa 
River, and there a thousand warriors, with their women and children, 
determined to make a last decisive stand. On ]\[arch 2Tth, 1814, they 
were surrounded by Jackson's troops and attacked. The dusky warriors 
fought desperately, for they knew that there would be no future for 
their nation in case of a defeat. They disdained to surrender, and 
almost six hundred of them were slain. Only two or three were made 
prisoners, with about tlirue hundred women and children. The result 
of the battle crushed the spirit and the power of tlie Creek nation. It 
was a sad picture for the eyes of good men to see one of the ancient 
tribes of our land, who were then making rapid strides in the progress 
of civilization, so ruthlessly and utterly ruined by the destructive hand 
of war. 



408 TIIK EMPlUi; slAli:. 



CllAl'lKU XXIX. 

P]akly in 1813 important military movements occurred at Ogdensbmj; 
and its vicinity. There were hostile incursions by botli parties across 
the St. Lawrence. Major Forsythe, in command at Oirilcnslnirg, Jiad 
crossed over to I'rockville early in February, released all the prisoners 
in jail there, and .seized some troops and citizens, who were carried to 
liis camp in triumph. 

Retaliation soon ensued. Sir (jeorge Prcvost, Governor-General of 
Canada, arrived at Prescott, oppo.site Ogdensburg, on his way to York, 
tlio cajiital of T'[)per Canada, and assented to a proposal for troops to 
cross the rivci- on the ice and assail the American village. Considering 
his own person in danger of ca))ture. Sir George hastened forward 
toward York, directing Lieuteuant-Colonel McDonnell to conduct the 
attack. ■ 

At dawn on the morning of February ii2d McDonnell appeared on the 
frozen river M-itli about eight hundred soldiers, in two columns, and 
pushed on to the village at separate points. Forsj'the, informed by spies 
of this intended as.sault, had prepared to receive the invaders ; but he 
could not withstand them. It was a sort of surprise. Some of the 
inhabitants were in bed, others were at breakfast. They neai'ly all tied 
in consternation, and after a conflict of an hour in the streets, Forsythe 
and liis troops retreated to Black Lake, eight or nine miles distant. The 
British became masters of the village. They plundered every house in 
the town excepting three, burned the l)arracks near the riv(U" and two 
gun-boats ami two armed schooners frozen in the ice, and returned to 
Canada with a great amount of ])hinder. These events accelerated the 
gathering of militia on the northern frontier, especially at Sackett's 
Ilarlxir. 

General L)earborn, the comnuuider-in-chief of the >iorthern Depart- 
ment, unable to afford assistance to the exposed points of the frontier of 
New York, resolved to invade Canada. lie was then in direct command 
of the Army of the .North, which was al)out six thousand strong, and 
were all within the State of New York. These were to defend the 
frontier from Buffalo to St. Regis. Dearborn determined to attempt 
the capture of Montreal, in Lower Canada, and York (now Toronto), 
the capital of the upper province. Chauncey, as we have seen, had 



EXPEDITIUX AGAINST YOKK (TORONTO). 



409 



gained the control of Lake Ontario, and believed he could keep the ice- 
bound British navy in the harbor of Kingston nntil the reduction of 
York. 

Dearborn concentrated troops at Sackett's Harbor and liuffalo ; l,ut 
in March (lS13l he found only three thousand troops at the former 
place. He directed General Brown to summon several hundred militia 
to the field, and called Brigadier-General Z. M. Pike to the harbor with 
four hundred of liis best men, then at Plattsburg, on Lake Ghamj.lain. 
Henry Eckfonl was charged with the building of six A\-ar schooners at 
the harbor, and Chauncey was authorized to purcliase as many vessels 
as the exigencies of tlie service 
might require. 

At the middle of April a plan 
was nuitnred for a land and naval 
force to cross the lake, capture 
York, and assail Fort George, 
near the mouth of the Niagara 
Kiver. At the same time troops 
were to cross the river at Buf- 
falo, capture Fort Erie and the 
redoul)t at Chippewa, and meet- 
ing the force from York at Foi't 
George, reduce that work, and 
then all press on to the captTire 
of Kingston. 

On April 25tli (1813) seven- 
teen hundred troops, under the immediate command of General Pike, 
sailed from Sackett's Harbor in Channcey's fleet, and on the morning of 
the 27th appeared before York, then pretty strongly fortified. The land 
forces were disembarked about two miles west of the British outworks in 
the face of a destructive fire from regulars and Lidians under (Tcnei-al 
vSheaflFe. The former were soon driven to tlieir fortifications, and the 
.Vmericaus, led by Pike,* pressed forward and captured two redoubts. 
At the same time Chauncey was smiting the foe with a tempest of grape- 
shot from his naval cannons. The Indians, terrified In' the I'oar of artil- 




ZEBULON MONTGOMERY I-njE. 



* Zebuloii i[. Pike was born at Lamberton, N. J., iu January, 1779. He entered the 
army iu his youth, and was made captain in 1806. In 1805 and 1806 lie was engai^ed in 
searching for tlie sources of the Jlis.si.'^sippi Kiver, and exploring a jiortion of the vast 
territory of Louisiana. He was commissioned a major in 1808. and rose to brigadier-gen- 
eral in 1813. Early in that year he was appointed adjutant and inspector-general in the 
Northern Department. He lost his life in an attack upon York, April 27th, 1813. 



410 Tin: K.MPIKK STATE. 

lery, liad deserted the Uritisli at tlie beirinniiig, and tied ;us fast as their 
IciTS could carry tliein. 

Slieaffe now took post with tlie garrison near tlie governor's house, 
and opened a lieavy fire of round and grape-sliot from a l)attery. Tliis 
battery was soon silenced by Pike's heavy guns, and he was expecting a 
white-flag token of submission, when an awful catastrophe occurred. 
Tlie British, unable to hold the fort, fired a magazine of gunpowder on 
the edge of the lake. The explosion which followed was terrible in its 
effects. Timbers and stones, of which the magazine w;us built, were 
scattered many hundred feet in every direction, carrying death and 
destruction. Fifty-two Americans and forty British soldiers were slain, 
and a much larger number were wounded. 

General Pike at the time of the explosion was sitting on the stump of 
a tree talking M'ith a captive P>ritish officer. Tiie general, two of his 
aides, and the captive officer were mortally hurt by the flying missiles. 
The dying leader was taken on board Cliauncey's flag-ship. His dulled 
ears heard the shouts of victory, and just before he died the cajitureil 
Briti-sh flag was brought to him. lie smiled, and made a sign to have it 
placed under his head. It was done, and a nu'inent afterward he 
expired. 

Early in May the victorious Americans sailed from Sackett's Harl)or 
to attack Fort George. The British had at that post and smaller works 
along the Niagara Iliver about eighteen hundred men, commanded by 
General Vint'cnt. The American troops landed and encamped five 
iniles east of Fort Niagara, where they prepared for the task before 
them. On the morning of ^fay 27th they were conveyed by Chauncey's 
squadron to the month of the Niagara on the Canada side. 

Led by Colonel Winfield Scott and Commodore Perry, the latter in 
command of the boats, the invatlers ascended the bank in the face of a 
shower of bullets and of glittering bayonets, and after a sharp conflict 
tliey pushed back the British, ^'incent, discouraged, ordered the guns 
of Fort George to be spiked, the ammunition to be destroyed, and tlni 
garrison to join him in a retreat toward Burlington Bay, at the west end 
of Lake Ontario. The whole British force retreated first to a strong 
position in the hilly region of the Beaver Dams, where Vincent had a 
magazine of stores and provisions. Forts Erie and Chippewa were 
abandoned, and the Niagara frontier in Canada passed into the possession 
of the Americans. 

Generals (^handler and Winder were sent in pursuit of A'incent. 
They encamped at Stony Creek on the night of June <>th, seven miles 
east of the British forces, where thev were attacked by the latter at mid- 



BRITISH ATTACK OX SACKETTS IIARROH, 411 

night. The darkness was intense ; surprised and confused in the gloom, 
tlie two American generals were made prisoners. Expecting a renewal 
of the attack, the Americans made a hasty retreat toward the Xiagara, 
menaced on the way by a British squadron on the lake at their left, and 
liy barbarians and local militia on the heights at their right. They 
reached Fort George in safety. 

Sackett's Harbor was now the chief depot of the military and naval 
snpplies of the Americans on Lake Ontario, and offered a tempting 
object to the enemy. When the British at Kingston heard of the de- 
parture of a large portion of Chauncey's squadron with the land troops 
from the harbor, they resolved to attempt the capture of that post. 

On the evening of May i!7th Sir James Lucas Yeo,* the commander 
of the British squadron, sailed from Kingston, and at about noon the 
next day appeared oif Sackett's Harbor with six armed vessels and forty 
bateaux, bearing over a thousand land troops, the whole armament under 
the command of Sir George Prevost, the governor-general. 

There were only a few regular troops at the harbor, commanded by 
Colonel Backus. General Brown, who was at his home a few miles dis- 
tant, hastened to the threatened post. He sent expresses in all directions 
to summon the militia to the field, and fired alarm-guns to rouse the 
inhabitants. The militia on their arrival were sent to Horse Island, 
close by, where it was supposed the invaders would first attempt to land. 

The British troops were embarked from the war- vessels in bateaux, 
l)ut were soon ordered back, when the whole squadron put to sea. Sir 
George, who was a timid naan, had been alarmed by the appearance of 
some American guu-l)oats bearing a regiment from Oswego to re-enforce 
the little garrison at the harbor. As soon as he perceived the real weak- 
ness I if the approaching foe he returned, and on the morning of the 2t)th 
landed a considerable force, with artillery, upon Horse Island. The 
American militia were called from the island and placed behind a gravel- 

* Sir .lames Lviciis Yeo wiis bom in Southampton, England, in 1783, and died in bis 
native country in 1819. He was an active but very cautious officer. He was given to 
boasting and promising more than he could perform. Offended witli Captain Porter, of 
tlie .American ship Exui.r, because of the hitter's disparaging remarlis concerning the 
baronet, he sent, by a paroUtd prisoner, a message to Porter inviting liim to a combat be- 
tween their two ships, saying he " would be glad to have a tcte-d-tcte anywhere between 
the Capes of the Delaware and the Havana, when he would have pleasure to break his 
own [Captain Porter's] sword over his d — fl head, and put him down forward in irou.s." 
Porter accepted the challenge in more decorous terms, but owing to the extreme caution. 
of Sir .James, the meeting never occurred. His conduct on Lake Ontario on two or tliree 
occasions was such that the wits of the day interpreted his cautious movements as 
specimens of " heart disease" known to cowards. He had been instructed to " risk 
iiolliing. " 



413 TIIK K.Ml'lKi: STATK. 

ridge on the main, from wiiicii tiiuy scampered at tlie tirst tire of tlie 
invaders. Tlie indignant General Brown attempted to rally them while 
the regulars and a few Albany volunteers disputed the advance of the 
foe inch by inch. At that moment a dense smoke arose in the rear of 
the American forces. Brown was alarmed, but was soon relieved of 
anxiety when lie learned that a friend and not <a foe was the incendiary. 
When the militia fled the otHcer in charge of the public property at the 
harbor, believing the ])ost would be taken, set tire to the storo-liouscs 
and their contents, ami a ship on tin; stocks. 

General Brown sunt some regulars to intercept the fugitive militia. 
These, with the gathering of others, decci\ed and alarmed Sir (reorge. 
lie had mounted a high stump and swept the horizon with his tield- 
glass. Seeing numerous men, he supposed them to be re-enforcements 
of regulars in large numbers, and immediately ordered a retreat. That 
movement became a disorderly flight. The fugitives left their dead and 
wounded behind, fled pell-mell to their vessels, and the whole scjuadron 
liastily withdrew from the harbor. The post and the ship on the stocks 
were saved, but stores worth half a million dollars were lost. Sackett's 
Harbor was never again attacked, aiul it remained a chief place of 
deposit of supplies for the Northern Army during the remainder of the 
war. 

General Vincent established an advanced post at the Beaver Dams 
under the command of Lieutenant Fitzgibbon. Late in June Colonel 
Boerstler was sent from Fort (Jeorge, with six hundred men, to capture 
the garrison and stores at the Beaver Dams. Informed of their 
approa(;h, Fitzgii)bon was prepared to rec(;ive them. Furiously assailed 
by Indians under John Brant, and alarmed by an exaggerated account 
of the number of the foe, Boerstler surrendered his whole force, when 
the Ih'itish pressed forward and menaced Queenstown and Ftirt Cieorge. 
The infirmities of General Dearborn now caused him to resign his com- 
mand, and lie was succeeded by General James Wilkinson, another 
officer of the old war for independence. 

The attempts to seize Canada had been decided failures, and yet the 
Government seemed not to have learned wisdom by dear-bought experi- 
ence. The Secretary of War w;is John -Vrmstrong,* who had been a 

* .lohn Armstrong was torn at Carlisle, Pa., in November, 17.58, and died at Red 
Hook, X. Y.. in .Vjiril. 1843. lie was a student at Princeton when the Uevolvitionarv 
War broke out, joined a Pennsylvania regiment as a vohiiiteer, and was on the staH of 
General Mereer. He was afterward on the staff of General Gates with the rank of major, 
and remained so until the end of the war. He wrote llic famous " Xewburg Ad- 
dresses." He lield important civil otliccs in Pennsylvania ; conducted military operations 



MOVEMENTS OX THE NIAGARA FROXTIEK. 



413 



subaltern in the war for independence. He was jjossessed of a fiery and 
obstinate spirit. He and Wilkinson could not agree. There was 
another fiery spirit in the field in Xew York at that time— Wade 
Hampton, of South Carolina — the lai-gest slaveholder in the republic, 
■who had been a partisan officer with Marion. He was haughty and 
imperious, and could not brook official control. These old Kevolutionary 
officers, jealous of each other, could not bear with complacency com- 
mands from one of their number who might be superior in official station. 
They were a decided disadvantage to the service from the beginning, 
and until they were succeeded by 
younger men the American armies 
were generally unsuccessful. 

Made bold by their success at 
the Beaver Dams, the British be- 
came aggressive on the Niagara 
frontier. They closely invested Fort 
George. On the night of July 
4th, 1S13, a few Canadian militia 
and Indians crossed the river to 
Schlosser, and captured a guard, 
arms, ammunition, and stores. On 
the 11th Lieutenant-Colonel Bis- 
shopp, with a motley force of four 
hundred regulars, Canadians, and 
Indians, crossed the river from Fort 

Erie and surprised the post at Black Ilock, a little before dawn. 
His object was to seize the stores collected there and the shipyard. 
They were defended by a few militia. These, with others at Buffalo, 
two miles distant, were under the command of General Peter B. Porter. 
The militia at Black Kock fled. Porter rallied a portion of them, and 
MJth fifty volunteer citizens drove the invaders across the river. Bis- 
shopp was mortally wounded in the flight, and died five days afterward. 

Wilkinson prepared for another invasion of Canada, or to " strike a 
deadly blow somewhere.' ' He left eight hundred troops at Fort George, 




.#^/v^ 



JOirx ARMSTKOXG. 



against settlers in the Wvoming Valley, in 1784 ; and declined the office of judge for the 
Korth-western Territory, in 1787. Two years later he married a sister of Chancellor 
Livingston, and pureha.sing a farm within the bounds of the Li\iugston .Manor, devoted 
himself to agriculture. He was United States senator in 1800-1804, and succeeded his 
brother-in-law. Livingston, as minister at the French Court. In 1812 he was commis- 
sioned a brigadier-general, and entered iladison's cabinet the ne.xt year as Secretary of 
War, resigning in 1814. He never entered public life afterward. 



414 



■nii; i;.Mi'ii;i: siatk. 




undor C'uloncl Wiiiticld IScott, and witli tlio reiiiaiiidur of tlic forces on 
tlie Xiajijara frontier he sailed eastward to undertake an exj)edition 
against Montreal. lie instructed Scott, in case tlie British slioiild leave 
that frontier, to j(;in his expedition on the St. Lawrence. This con- 
tiiiiiency soon occurred. When Vincent heard of the defeat of Proctor 
on the Thanies, he called liis troops from the Niagara to Ihirlington 

Heights, ^fi-anwhile the Secretary 

of War (Armstrong) had come on 

to reconcile dilferences between 
Wilkinson and Hampton, and to 
assume tlie conduct of the in\ading 
expedition. Armstrong established 
the seat of the War Dciiartmciit at 
Sackett's Harbor. 

When Wilkinson * took com- 
mand of the Army of the North 
in the summer of 181:3, military 
ailairs on Lake Champlain and in 
its vicinity were in a peculiar posi- 
tion. Captain Thomas Macdonough 
had been charged with the con- 
struction of a fleet on the lake in 
the spring. At the beginning of 
June he had two stanch armed ves- 
sels — Euijh and Gnnclet' — ready for service. They were sent to the foot 
of the lake to look after some l^ritish gnu-boats that were depredating 
there. They ran far into the Sorel, when, tuining southward, they 
were chased by British armed vessels and assailed by land troops on 
each side t)f the narnnv river. The Eagle was sunk by a heavy rouml- 
shot, and the Grvichr was captured. 

* James Wilkinson was born in Maryland in 1757, anil died nwir the city of Mexico iu 
December, 182.). He joined the Continental Army at Cambridiie iu 1775. nud was lui 
active subaltern ollieer dm-ing the whole war. At its close he enfraged in mercantile 
business in Lexington, Ivy. He was lieutenant-colonel in an expedition ajjainst the Ind- 
ians in 1791. and was made lirigadier-general the next year. He commanded the right 
wing of Wayne's army on the Mainnee in 1704, and was general-inehief of the I'nited 
States Army from 17!)0 to 179S nnd from l.SOO to 1812. He was one of the commission- 
ers lo receive Louisiana from the French late in 1803. and was governor of that territory 
from 1805 to 1807. AVilUinson became entangled with Burr. Made major-general in 
1813, he was ordered to the command on the northern frontier. His campaign against 
Jlontreal was a failure, chiefly beeaii.se of tbu conduct of Wade Hampton. He left the 
army at the close of the war. Having become possessed of large estates in Mexico, he 
removed to thai countrv, and died there. 



.l.VMICS WIIJilNSON. 



EXPEDITION AGAINST MONTUKAL. 415 

Early in August Macdonough Iiad three armed schooners and six gnn- 
hoats ready for service, fitted and manned. At about tlie same time 
TMattsburg, on the west side of the hilvc, left nneovered by any military 
fiirce, had been seized, plundered, and scorched by a British land and 
naval force, fourteen hundred strong, under Colonel Murray, while 
(ieneral Hampton, the connnander of that I'egion, lying at Burlington, 
twenty miles distant, with four thousand troops, had made no attempt 
to oppose the invaders. 

In the mean time Clhaunccv had been busy on J^ake Ontario, lie 
sought a conflict with Sii' James Yeo, l)ut the latter evaded him for 
weeks, for he had been instructed to "risk nothing." The saved ship 
at the harbor had l)een completed ami named the General Pike. 
C'hauncey made her his flag-slilp. IIu h:i<l twelve other vessels, mostly 
merchantmen altered into war-craft. Sir .Tamcis had six vessels built at 
]\ingston expressly for war. 

One night in July the belligerents were about to engage in an 
encounter when a sudden tornado capsized two of Channeey's vessels, 
and all on board perished excepting sixteen men. Finally, at the middle 
of September, Chauncey compelled the baronet to light. The Pike 
fought the heavier vessels of the foe. The conflict was quick, sharp, 
and ileeisive. The Wolfe, Yeo's flag-ship, too much bruised to fight 
any longer, hurried away before the wind, covered by the Royal George. 
(Jhanncey pursued to Burlington Bay, but the equinoctial gale made it 
prudent for him to return to Niagara. He did little more during the 
season than to watch the enemy and assist the expedition on the St. 
Lawrence. 

Armstrong directed Wilkinson to command the expedition against 
Montreal, and ordered Hampton, who was in connnand of the right 
wing of the army, to co-operate with the forces on the St. Lawrence. 
Hampton moved forward from Plattslnirgh at about the middle of Sep- 
tember with four thousand (tfFcctive infantry, a s(piadron of cavalry, and 
a train of artillery, and on the 2-l:th encamped oti the Chateaugay River 
near the site of the present village of Cliateaugaj', where he awaited 
orders. 

At the middle of October the troops destined for Montreal sailed from 
Sa(!kett's Harbor in a Hotilla of open boats, and at the same time 
Hampton was ordered to push on to the St. Lawrence, at the mouth of 
the Chateaugay. The flotilla was dreadfully smitten by a gale on the 
lake, and was dispensed. Much property was lost. The scattered troops 
rendezvoused at Grenadier Island, excepting a detachment under Gen- 
eral Brown, which pushed on to French Creek, now Clayton, on the St. 



410 TIIH K.MIMKE STATE. 

Liiwrence, wliore, on Noveiiilior 1st, tlicy had a sliarp Imt successful 
encounter with IJritish infantry on yun-hoats and schooners. 

Tlie wlioie expedition was concentrated at Fi-encli Creek in the first 
■week in November. On tlie r)th the wliolc arnuunent moved down the 
river in three hundred open boats. A Canadian winter was just at liand. 
Snow had ah-eady fallen, and the cold was becoming severe. Their flags 
were furled and their music was silent, for they wished to elude tlie 
vijrilance of the British ; but they were discovered and pursued by troops 
in a heavy-armed ijalley and some gun-boats through the sinuous 
channels of the Thousand Islands. They had a battle by moonlight in 
Alexandria Bay. 

Land troops from Kingston arrived at Prescott before "Wilkinson could 
reach Ogdensburg, on the opposite shore. He disembarked above that 
village, marched around it to avoid the artillery on the Canada shore, 
and at a point a few miles below re-entered the boats, wiiich had been 
safely taken past tlie liatteries by General Brown. On November 10th 
tiie flotilla lay anchored a short distance above tlie head of the Long 
Kapids. 

Meanwhile British troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Morrison, in boats 
aTid on shore, had pursued the flotilla, and some of them were posted at 
the foot of tlie rapids to intercept the Americans wlien they should come 
down. INfany of the latter, under Generals Brown and Boyd,* were on 
the Canada shore. Brown pushed forward with a detachment to dis- 
lodge the British at the foot of the rapids, antl on the 11th Boyd met 
the enemy face to face, who M'ere in battle array on the farm of John 
Chrysler, a few miles below Williamsburg, in Canada. A severe battle 
was fought in sleet and snow. Boyd was ably supported by Generals 
Swartwout and Covington, and Colonels Coles, Ripley, and Swift. The 
Americans were driven from the field with considerable loss. General 
Covington was mortally wounded. Under cover of night the little 
American force withdrew to the flotilla, which descended the Long 
Kapids with safety the next morning. 

General Wilkinson was then very ill. Word came that General 

* John PaikiT Boyd was born at KowbiuTport, Jlass., in Decpinbcr, ]7(!S. and died in 
Boston in OclobiT, 1S80. lie entered the military service and soon afterward went to 
tlic East Indies, where lie entered the Mahratta service and soon rose to the rank of com- 
mander, leading, at one lime, 10,000 men. lie served for some time, when, his iiresence 
being no longer needed, he sold out and went to Paris. He returned home in 1808 and 
re-entered the United Slates Army as colonel. He was distinguished in the battle of Tip- 
pecanoe. In 1812 lie was commissioned a brigadier-general, and commanded an important 
jtart of Wilkinson's expedition down the St. Lawrence in 181;}. General lioyd was made 
naval ollicer at Boston in 1830, but died .soon afterward. 



i 



NIAGAKA FRONTIER DESOLATED. 417 

Hampton conld not form the ordered junction witli the expedition, but 
would return to Lake Champhun. lie wouki not serve under Wilkinson. 
The expedition did not proceed farther, but went into winter (jnarters at 
French Mills, on the Salmon Tliver. So ended in disaster another 
attempt to invade and conquer Canada. 

Distressing events closed the campaign of the Northern Army on the 
Niagara frontier. Early in December General McClure, regarding Fort 
George as untenable with his little garrison of forty men, abandoned it 
and crossed over to Fort Niagara. Before leaving Canada he set fire to 
the beautiful village of Newark. One hundred and fifty houses were 
destroyed (December 10th), and scores of men, women, and children 
were turned into the keen wintry air, homeless wanderers. This savage 
act created the most fiery indignation, and fierce retaliation followed. 
The British captured Fort Niagara and massacred a part of the garrison. 
The Indians were given full liberty to plunder and destroy. Every 
village and hamlet on the New York side of the river was sacked and 
burnt. Black Rock and Bufi^alo, though defended by some troops, did 
not escape. The latter village contained about eighteen hundred iidiab- 
itants. All but four of its buildings were laid in ashes. An immense 
amount of public and private property was destroyed. With these 
events the campaign of 1S13 in the north was closed. "We have already 
considered the war with the Indians in the region of the Gulf of Mexico. 

The naval operations on the ocean during 1813 were very important. 
As these were not specially connected with the history of the State of 
New York, it is our province only to notice them very briefly. 

The Unitfd States sloop-of-war Hornet, Captain Lawrence, fought 
the British brig Peacoel- (February 24th, 1S13) off the mouth of the 
Demarara River, South America. The Peucocl' surrendered after a 
sharp contest of fifteen minutes, and innnediately suidc, carrying down 
with her nine British seamen and three Americans. The generous con- 
duct of Lawrence on that occasion drew from the survivors of the Pea- 
cock a letter of thanks after their arrival, as prisoners, at New York. 

Lawrence was promoted to the command of the American frigate 
Chesapeake. On June 1st he sailed from Boston to respond to a chal- 
lenge by the commander of the frigate Shannon, Captain Broke. He 
found the boaster on the same day thirty miles from Boston Light. At 
five o'clock in the afternoon a furious struggle began. The vessels 
became entangled. The Britons boarded the Chesapeake, and after a 
desperate hand-to-hand combat the Americans were over])owered and 
the British flag was hoisted over the dreadfully injured vessel. Early 
in the conflict a nmsket-ball mortally wounded the gallant young Law- 



418 Til 10 EMIMUE STATE. 

reiK'.e. As lie was being taken to tlieeock|iit lie s;ii(i : '' Tull tlie luuu to 
fire faster and 7iot to give up the ship. Fight her till she sinks !" These 
dying words of Lawrence — '' Don't give np the ship I" — became a battle 
cry of the Americans. The loss of men on tlie Chcmijjeah' was fearful. 
She was taken to Halifax. Lawrence died on the way. Public honors 
were awarded him. His monmuent staniis in Trinity church-yard. New 
York City. 

Li the spring of 1S13 the American brig Anjiis, Captain Allen, cari'icd 
Mr. Crawford to France as the accredited American Mim'ster at the French 
court. For two months after her arrival in Europe she greatly annoyed 
the British slii|)ping in the English Channel. Several vessels were sent 
out to capture her. At the middle of August she surrendered to the 
J\'/ica>i, sloop-of-war. I'erry gained his great victory on Lake Erie less 
than a month afterward, and on September oth the British brig Boxt/-, 
Captain Biytlie, surrendered to the American hrig ^nterpj'ise. Lieutenant 
Burrows, after a contest of forty minutes, oif the coast of Maine. Both 
conmianders were slain, and their bodies were buried in one grave at 
Portland. During the year 1S13 tlie American frigate Essex, Captain 
Porter, made a long and successful cruise in the Atlantic and Paciiic 
oceans. She carried at her masthead the popular motto : " Free Trade 
and Sailors' Rights." In the spring of 1814 she was captured in the 
harbor of Valparaiso by the British frigate Phahe and the sloop-of-war 
Chcfuh, after a most desperate struggle. Porter wrote to the Secretary 
of War : " We have been unfortunate, but not disgraced."" 

While Porter was performing great exploits on the calm Paciiic Sea, 
Commodore Ki>dgcrs was out on a long cruise on the stormy Atlantic in 
the American frigate President. He sailed from Boston at the close of 
April, 1813, and returned to Newport, R. L, after a cruise of one 
hundred and forty-eight days. He had captured eleven J>ritish merchant 
vessels and the armed British schooner Iliyhjii/cr. 

During the spring and summer of 1813 a most distressing amphibious 
warfare was cai'ried on along the coast of the United States from Dela- 
ware Bay to the harbor of Charleston by a British squadron commanded 
by Admiral Cockburn, which bore some land troops. This force 
destroyed American shipping in Delaware River, cannonaded the town 
of Lewiston on the shores of Delaware Bay, and plundered and burnt 
the villages of Freru-litown, Havre de Grace, Georgetown, and Fred- 
erickton, on the shores of Chesapeake Bay. It sailed into Hampton 
Roads and menaced Norfolk. Driven off by troops on Craney Islaiul, in 
the Elizal)eth River, under Major Faulkner (June 22d), the squadron 
made a marauding voyage down the coast of North Carolina, and carried 



NAVAL FORCE OF THE AMERICANS, 1813. 419 

away a great iininy negroes, wliom Cockburii sold as booty in tlio West 
Indies. In pleasant contrast with the conduct of Cockl)urn was the 
deportment of Coinniodoro Hardy, M'ho commanded a blockading 
squadron on the New England coasts during the same season. lie was 
a high-minded gentleman and a generous enemy. 

During most of the year 1813 the Americans liad only three frigates 
afloat on the sea — namely, the President, the Congress, and the Essex. 
The Consfitution was undergoing repairs, tlie ConsteUation was blockaded 
during the sunnner at Norfolk, and the Macedonia and United. States 
were blockaded in the harbor of New London. The Adams was undei'- 
going repairs, the John Adams was un tit for service, and the J^eio Yorh 
and Boston were virtually condenmed. All the brigs had been captured 
excepting the Enterprise ; and yet tlie Americans, with indonn'table 
couriige, determined to continue the war on the ocean, with vigor. 



420 TlIK E.MFIKE STATE. 



CliAl'TEU XXX. 

Earlv in the year ISl-i tlie I'l'itisli Goveniinent seeined disposed to 
prosecute the war against tlie United States witli increased vigor. Tlie 
allied farces of Europe had checked the victorious career of Napoleon. 
They had united to crush him and to sustain the sinking IJonrl^on dynasty 
in France. Their armies, approaching from different directions, reached 
the puburhs of Paris at the close of March, when the enijierors of Kussia 
and Prussia entered the city. Nearl}' lialf a million disciplined troops 
were hack of them. Napoleon, hoping to secure his crown for his son, 
abdicated in his favor i^April 4tli, 1814), and retired to the island of 
Ell)a. Peace for Europe appeared to be secured. British troops were 
M'ithdrawn from tlie Cinitinent, and early in the sunnner of 1S14 fourteen 
or iifteen thousand of Wellington's veterans were sent to (,'anada to 
defend that provincjc or to invade the State of New York. 

At the hegiuning of 1814 British war vessels swarmed in American 
waters, and kept the seai)ort towns in such a state of continual alarm that 
all projects for the conquest of Canada were kept in abeyance for a while. 
They were not abandoned, however. 

At this time the people of the United States were more united in sup- 
port of the war than ever before. The best men of the Federal Party 
patriotically aided the Government in its struggle. There were but few 
()])ponents of the Government outside of the mipatriotic Peace Faction 
and the si)hero of its influence. The bulk of that faction was in New 
England. They did everything in their power to embarrass the Govern- 
ment, es]iecially in its financial operations. They upheld violators of 
the revenue laws ; encouraged smuggling • secretly furnished the British 
blockading squadron off the New England coasts with supplies,^ and 
rejoiced when disasters Ijefell the arms of the T'^nited States. At length 
their mischievous disloyalty and treason became so conspicuous and 
obnoxious that the great bulk of the inhabitants of New England vehe- 
mently condemned their course, and they gradually disappeared from 
public view. To the credit of the State of New York, very few 
members of the Peace Faction resided within its borders. 

In February (1814) General Wilkinson with a part of his force 
removed from the vicinity of the St. Lawrence to Plattsbnrgh, on Lake 
Champlain, and General Brown, with two thousand men, marched to 



THE MASTERY OP LAKE ONTARIO. 421 

Sackett's Harbor, preparatory to liis departure for the Niagara frontier. 
Late in i[;ir('li Wilkinson erected a battery at Rouse's Point, at tbe foot 
of Lake Ciianiplain, on tlie Canada border. He had resolved to march 
on Montreal, with or without orders from Washington. Informed that 
a considerid)lc British force was about to be gathered at La Colic Mills, 
three or four miles witliin tlie Canada line, he pressed forward with 
about four thousand men to preoccupy the place. The British arrived 
there first, and were garrisoned in a very strong stone mill. They were 
regulars under Major ILmcock. Although Wilkinson was informed 
that re-enforcements for Hancock were approaching and were near, he 
persisted in making an effort to dislodge the troops in the mill and in a 
strong position near it. After a sharp engagement for two hours the 
Americans were repulsed, with a loss of sixty-three men. With this 
event the military career of Wilkinson was ended. He was tried by a 
court-martial, but was acquitted. Suspended from command at the time, 
he left the army and his troops were assigned to General Izard. 

Both parties had been preparing during the winter and spring to make 
a struggle for the mastery of Lake Ontario. As soon as the ice in 
Kingston Harbor gave way, Sir James Teo, in command of a British 
squadron there, went out upon the lake with about three thousand fight- 
ing men. On May 5tli he appeared off Oswego with the design to 
attempt the seizure of a large quantity of provisions and naval stores 
which the Araei'ieans had gathered at the falls of tb.e Oswego lliver, at 
the (present) village of Fulton. The post was defended by a fort on 
the l>luff at the east side of the harbor and garrisoned by three hundred 
men commanded by Colonel Mitchell, and a small flotilla under Captain 
Woolsey. Commodore Chauncey was not quite ready to leave Sackett's 
Harbor. Tlie British effected a landing at Oswego, and after a sharp 
skirmish with the little garrison, in the open field, the latter retired, and 
the invaders took possession of the fort. But they dared not attem])t to 
penetrate the country in quest of the coveted prize, but hastily withdrew 
early on the morning of the 7th, carrying away as prisoners several 
prominent citizens. The British lost in the contest two hundred and 
thirty-five men. 

The principal military force of the British in Upper Canada was now 
placed under the connnand of Lieutenant-General Drummond, and were 
stationed chiefly on the peninsula west of the Niagara Kiver. Toward 
that frontier General Brown marched from Sackett's Harbor at the close 
of .rune, and on July 1st he was on the eastern bank of the Niagara near 
the desolated town of BulTalo. 

Brown had orders from Washin<rton to invade Canada. He regarded 






TIIK KMI'IKK STATE. 



liis forco sntHcieiit for tlmt acliievonieiit. It consisted of two Lrigados of 
infiuitfy, c'oiiiiiKmdud respuftivoly by Generals Scott "" and Tlipley ; 
some artillery under Captains Towson and llindnian, and a sniidl 
t^quadron of cavali'v led l>y Captain S. D. Harris. These were all regu- 
lars, lie also liad a briirade of 
New York and Pennsylvania vol- 
unteers, and nearly six hundred In- 
dians. The latter comprised almost 
all of the military force of tlie Six 
Nations remaining witliin the State 
of New York, of wiioin Red 
Jacket + was the chief. This coni- 
1 lined force was conmianded hy 
(ielieral Peter B. Porter. 

The Americans made the lirst 
aggressive movement on duly 3d, 
when fienerals Scott and Tvipley 
crossed the Niaifura River to attack 
Fort Erie, nearly opposite Buffalo, 
which was then the chief impedi- 
ment in the way of ;iii invasion of Canada. Scott led several regiments 
and a (H)rps of artillery to the Canada shore, in boats, before the dawn on 
the ;{d. He was followed by fieneral Brown and his staff. It was a late 
hour before the more tardy Ripley joined them with several regiments, 




WlNKIKI.l) SCOTT, 1820. 



* Winficlil Scott was Ijorn in Petersburg. Va., in Juno, ITHfi, and died at ^Vest Point. 
N. Y., in May, 1HG6. lie was aiiniitted to the bar in 180G, but entered the army as eap- 
tain of artillery two years later. He became lieutenant-colonel in IXVi, and adjutanl- 
general, with the rank of colonel, early in 1813. He wa-s made prisoner at the battle of 
Queenstown. In the spring of 1814 he was conmiissioned a brigadier-general, and fought 
battles on the Niagara frontier for which lie received the thanks of Congress and a gold 
medal. After the war he was sent to Europe in a military and diplomatic capacity. He 
remained in the army. His services in the South — in Charleston during the nullification 
movenunls, in the war witli the Seminolcs and Creeks, and in the partial removal of the 
Cherokees from Georgia in ls:!H — were very .salutary. He was a discreet i)acitier of 
trouble on the northern fronlier in 1839, and on the borders of New IJrunswick. He 
performed admirable service in the war with Mexico. "When the Civil AVar broke out. in 
1861. he was general-incliief of the armies of the I'nited Stales, but l)eing inlirm he soon 
resigned his trust. In 1853 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Presidency of the 
United States. 

t Red Jacket (fyi-go-yc-trat-lia) ■kos a celebrated Seneca orator. He was Imrn ni-ar 
Buffalo, N. Y., in 1751. His nation was on the side of the British during the old war 
for indeiiendencc. He was conspicuous for his oratory at a council held at Fort Stanwi.x 
(Schuyler) in 1784, in a speech against ceding lands to the white jieople. In an interview 
with President Wiushinston lie received from the latter a silver medal, which he ever 



CAPTUHE OF FORT ERIE. 



423 



when the combined troops invested the fort. Brown demanded its 
surrender. There was a parley, but little fio:htinl,^ and in the af'ternoDii 
the fort M'as given up. At six o'clock the little garrison, comnianded by 
Major Buck, marched out and laid down their arms. They were sent 
across the river and marelied to tlie Hudson, jirisoners of war. During 
the forenoon cannons had been fired from the fort, which killed four 
Americans and wounded two or 
three. The Americans had driven 
iu the r>ritish pickets and killed 
one man. This was all tlie bhjod 
shed in the capture of Fort Erie. 

Measures were promptly take 
to secure the advantages of tli 
victory to the Americans, (ren- 
eral liiall, an able soldier and chief 
commander of the British under 
Drummond on that frontier, was "^"^"^^ 
marching toward Fort Erie when 
he heard of the investment of that 
post. lie at once sent forward 
some veterans to re-enforce the 
garrison. At C'iiippewa they heard 
of the capture of the fort, when 
Riall resolved to press forward and 
attack the invaders at once. In- 
formed that I'e-enforcements were coming to him from York, he jjost- 
poTied the attack until the next morning. (Teueral Brown sent General 
Scott with his i)rigade, accompanied by Towson's artillery, to meet this 
force. Scott moved early on the morning of the 4th (Juh', 181-1). 
General Ripley was ordered in the same direction, Ijut always tardy 
and slow to obey, it was late in the afternoon before he was prepared to 
move. Scott pushed on toward ('hip>pewa, and drove in a Britisli ad- 




KED JACICET. 



afterward wore witli pride. It Ls in posses.sion of Colonel Parker, now (1887) chief of the 
leiunant of the nation. In 1810 he informed the United States Government of tlu' attempt 
of Teeumtlia to draw the Senecas into the Xorth-western Confeileraey. He fouijlit 
for the United States in the War of 1812-15. Red .laeket was a pcrsi-stent opposer of 
Christian missionarie.s. His influence over the remnant of his nation was supreme. He 
remained a thorough Indian, and held in contempt the language, dress, and customs of 
the English-speaking people. Late in life he became an intemjierate man. In 1884 a 
beautiful monument to his memory was erected in a cemetery at Buffalo (where he died 
in .January, 1830). under the auspiees of the Buffalo Historical Society. Colonel Wil- 
liam L. Stone wrote and publisheil a life of Red Jacket. 



424 THE K.MPIKK STATE 

vaiiced (Ictaclunent nhout a mile from that ])ost. Tlierc lie was joiiied 
at oveiiiiij^ liy Jirown's entire force, and on tlie morning of the Titli tlie 
hostile armies were only two miles apart. 

Scott was joined liy (ieneral Porter, with his vohmtecrs ami Indiana, 
at noon on the 5th. lliall had been re-enfoieed. There was skirmishini^ 
during the afternoon. Toward evening Riall advanced with his whf)le 
force. A desperate battle ensued between Street's Creek and Chippewa. 
It was very sanguinary. At lengtii the British line gave way under 
the pressure of a flank movement by ^fajor ilcXeil and a terrific Are 
from a corps under ^rajor Jesnp. The foe broke and fled to the intrench- 
'ments at Chippewa, tearing up the bridge over Chippewa Creek behind 
them, and so leaving an impassable barrier between themselves and the 
victorions Americans. The battle-tield was strewn with the dead and 
wounded — six hundred and four of the I'riti.sh, and three hnndrcd and 
tifty-five of the Americans. A shower of rain descended like an angel of 
mercy that night, and gave comfort to the maimed and dying of both armies, 
who were tenderly cared for. Much of the ne.\t and fV)llowin<; day were 
spent by the Americans caring for the wounded and in burying the dead. 

1 )riiiiiniond was mortitied by this discomfiture of his veteran troops 
by what he deemed to be raw Americans, and he resolved to wipe out 
the stain. IIi> gathered troops from every available point, in number 
about one third larger than that under Urown, and soon advanced to 
meet the invader. 

Brown was anxioris to push on toward the month of the Niagara, 
where he expected Chauncey would co-operate with him. He crossed 
the Chippewa Creek in boats with a part of his army before daylight on 
the morning of the Stli, when Iviall fled to Queenstown, put some of his 
troops into Forts (reorge and Mississangua, and established his head- 
quarters near the lake, twenty miles westward. Brown pushed on to 
Queenstown and menaced Fort George. After waiting many days he 
learned that Chaimcey was sick and his s(juadron was blockaded at 
Sackett's irarboi-. Hopeless of aid from the navy, he ordered the army 
to fall back to the battle-ground of Chippewa and await develojmients. 
They did not rest long, for on the morning of the 24th Brown wjis 
startled by the intelligence that Drnmmond had landed with a tlmnsand 
troops at Lewiston, many of them "Wellingfoirs veterans : that a liritish 
force occupied (Queenstown, and that Riall had joined the lieutenant- 
general with his own troops and a body of loyal Caiiiidians. 

Brown now ordered Scott to march rapidly with a part of the army 
and menace the forts at the mouth of the Niagara. He pushed forward 
toward evening with his brigade, Towson's artillery, and some mounted 



RATTLK OF I-UXDY'S LA-NE. 4;i5 

men, and near the verge of the great cataract he saw some British officers 
come out of a house, leap into their saddles, and ride swiftly away. Ho 
daslied into the woods, exjiecting to find a small detachment of the liritish 
arniy, but soon discovered that Kiall was tliere with a force larger tliiiu he 
led at Clii[)pewa. Scott measured the peril of his situation instantly. 
To stand still would be fatal, and to retreat might demoralize tlie army 
he had just left ; so he resolved to fight witli great odds against him. 

A desperate Inittle began at sunset, and did not cease until almost mid- 
nigiit. Tlie British line encountered by Scott, eigliteen hundred strong, 
was on a Jiill over which passed a highway known as Lundy's Lane. 
Near its crest the British had a fine battery- of brass cannon, which 
inflicted fearful havoc in the ranks of the Americans, ^yl^ile Scott was 
hotly engaged with Kiall, Major Jesup secretly led a small force in the 
gloom to the rear of the British and kept back re-enforcements sent by 
Drummond. Meanwhile General Brown, apprised of the situation by 
the booming of cannons and from messengers, pushed forward with his 
whole army. Perceiving the battery on the hill to be the key to the 
enemy's position, he turned to Colonel James Miller and asked : 

" Can you storm that work and take it ^" 

"Fll try !"■ said :Mil]er. 

The l)attery was soon taken, and the exploit led to victory. Miller 
was promoted to brigadier general. 

Scott, fighting gallantly, was severely wounded in his slioulder by a 
musket-ball. Brown, too, vras badly wounded, and the command 
devolved upon the inefficient Ripley. The British had ah'eady been 
driven from the field, notwithstanding Drunnnond had brought tliem a 
re-enforcement of fifteen hundred men. The Americans retired to 
Chippewa, a sliort distance off, but could not take the captured battery 
with them. Brown ordered Ripley to return after a brief rest and take 
possession of the Ixittle-field and the ])attery before daylight. That always 
tardy and disobedient officer hesitated to obey. The British returned, 
retook the battery, and held the field, while Ripley led the little American 
army back to Fort Erie, and deprived them of all the advantages they 
had gained at this battle of Lundy's Lane. He was immediately super- 
seded by C4eneral E. P. Gaines. Both parties claimed the victory.* 

Drummond was wounded in the battle. As soon as he was able he 

* The British li;ul about four thousand five hundred troops in this battle, and the 
Americans two tliousand six Imndred. The hitter lost about one third of their nnmlxr, 
and the British lost a few more. The eontiiet is sometimes called the battle of Bridge- 
water, from a hamlet near by, and also the battle of Niagara, it having been fought in 
sight of the great cataract. 



421] 



Tin; KMl'IKK STATK. 



jnislied forward and hcpiegod Fort Erio with al)ont five tlioiisand men. 
Kroiii tlie Ttli to tlie 14tli of August (1S14) aluiost continuous c-annonad- 
ing l)Ot\veeii the besiegers and the besieged was kept up. At evening 
twiliglit nil the 14th a sliell liurled from a I'ritisli mortar came .screaming 
into tlie fort, Kxiged in an ahno.st empty magazine, and blew it up. 
Drummond, supposing lie liad fired one of the principal magazines of 
the fort, proceeded to assail the works in strong force. Before dawn on 
the l.">th fifteen hundred of his men furiously attacked the fort. Tiiey 
gained a bastion, but were repulsed at ail other points. They held the 
ba.stion with tenacity. The Americans mined it and blew it u)>. The 
explosion was terrific. Mingled earth, timl)ers, stones, and human 
])odies rose one hundred feet in the air and spread a shower of ruins t(» a 

great distance. The British, amaz- 
ed, soon afterward broke and fled, 
and victory remained witli the 
Americans. 

I'otli ]>avties prepared to renew 
tlio struii^jle. (ieneral I!rown liad 
recovered, and was again in com- 
mand of liis army. I)runnnonil"s 
force again invested Fort Erie, bur, 
occupying low ground, many died 
of typlioid fever. 

On September 17th a sortie Avas 
made from the fort, and after a 
severe contest the Americans cap- 
tured the advanced works of the 
The British were driven back to Chippewa, with a loss of almost 
a thousand men, killed, wounded, and prisoners. " TIius,'' wrote Gen- 
eral Brown to the Secretary of AVar, " one thousand regulars and an 
eijual proportion of militia destroyed the fruits of fifty days' lalwr, and 
diminished his [DrumuKind's] efifeetive force one thousand men." 

This victory, won by the Americans so soon after those acliieved at 
Ciiippewa and Lundy's Lane, and occnirring a few days after a trium])li 
of their arms at Plattsburgh, on Bake Champlain. and the expulsion of 
tlie Britisli from B>altiniore, dilTused great joy tiiroughoiit the country, 
and dispelled the gloom wliicli tlie recent capture of the national capital 
by tlie enemy had spread over tlie land. 

General Izard,* the successor of General Wilkinson, led about five 

* Gi'orjre Izard was a native of South Carolina, wIutc lie was Ixirii in 1777 anil tiled at 
Little Rock, Ark., in XovemlxT, 182s. He \vu.s ediiealeil in Enirland. and .Mmn after 




'I 



cnemv. 



GENKU.VT. IZ.Mtl). 



I 



STIRRING EVENTS ON LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 



427 



thousunil troops to tlie Niagara frontier in October, and, raiik..,g Brown, 
took the oliief eoinmanJ. Tlie conihined forces, niinibering about eight 
thousand men, were preparing to attack Driiuiniond, when he withdrew 
to Fort George and Burlington Heights. Perceiving that further offen- 
sive operations on the Canadian peninsula would be perha])s perilous, 
Izard caused Fort Erie to be abandoned and blown up early in Novenilier, 
and, leaving Canada, he crossed the Niagara and put tlie troops into 
winter ipiarters at Buffalo, Black 
Bock, and Batavia. 

There were stirring scenes on 
Lake Chani]ilaiu early in Septem- 
ber, ISl-i. When, in August, Izard 
marched westward he left about 
fifteen hundred regulars near Platts- 
burgh under the command of Gen- 
eral Alexander Macomb. (General 
Benjamin Mooers * was at the head 
of the militia force in that region. 

Daring the summer the Ameri- 
cans and the British had been busy 
in the preparation of vessels of war 
on Lake Champlain. The Ameri- 
can squadron was placed in charge 
of Cajttain Thomas Macdonough, 

and was ready for service at the middle of August. At the beginning 
of September Macomb was iu command of about three thousand four 
liundred armed men all told. With great exertions he had completed 
redoubts and block-houses there and other preparations for defence. He 
also took measures to prevent expected invaders from Canada crossing the 
Saranac River. lie had learned that fifteen thousand of Wellington's 




BENJAMIN .MOOERS. 



his return he entered the army (1794) a.s a lieutenant of artillery. In 1799 he was ap- 
pointed aide to General Hamilton, and resigned hi.s office in 1803. lie was appointed 
colonel of artillery in the spring of 1812, and brigadier-general a year later. On Lake 
Champlain and on the Niagara frontier, he connnauded with skill and prudence, with the 
rank of major-general. In 182.T he was ajipointed governor of the .Vrkansas Territory, 
and so remained until his death. 

* Benjamin .Mooere, born in Massachusetts in 1761. wa-s a young soldier in the old war 
for indcpendenec. He was chosen commander of one of the two gn^at divisions of the 
militia of the Stale of New York in 1812, but did not appear active on the tield until the 
invasion of the Champlain region by the British in 1814, when he was in command of the 
mililia who defended Platlsburgh. In that position he did his duty nobly. He died at his 
residence on Cumberland Head, in February, 1838. 



428 



Tin; K.MiMui; statk 




x<!%. 



vcteriiiis were at ^[oiitreal, under tlie coniinand of Sir George Prevcst. the 
(Toveriior-Cieiieral of Canada, who was preparintj to invade tlie State of 
New York. 

At the hci^nnninij of Scpteiubcr Prevcst,* with fourteen thousand men, 
c'hietlj Wellington's soldiers, penetrated the country from the St. Law- 
rence to a point a few miles fro)ii Plattsburgh. lie avowed his intention 
to seize and hold Northern New York as far south as Tieonderoga, and 
by proclamation culled on the iidiabitants to cast off their allegiance to 
tlieir government and to furnish him with su])plies. At the same time 

the British squadron, built 

' - ^ . on the Sorel, moved into 

Lake Champlain, under 
the general command of 
Commodore Downie. 

On the morning of Sep- 
tember 6th Prevost ad- 
vanced upon I'lattsburgh in 
two columns. One of 
these encountered and had a 
~~ severe .skirmish with a small 
force of regulars and mili- 
tia under Captain Wool, 
the hero of Queenstown. 
The Americans were press- 
ed back by overwhelming mimbers, and retired to the south side of the 
Saranac, tearing up the bridges behind them and using the timbers for 
breastworks. In trying to force their way across the Saranac the British 
were repulsed by a company of musketeers in a strong stone mill. 
Prevost soon learned that his invasion was not to be a pleasant holiday 
excursion, and he paused for the coming up of batteries and supplies, and 
for the construction of works to command those of the Americans on the 
south side of the river. 

Meanwhile the British naval force had a]ipeared off Cumberland Head, 
at the entrance to Plattsburgh Bay, in which lay the stpiadron t)f Mac- 






^ 






STONE inLL AT PLATTSBURGH. 



* Sir Ocorsro Prevost was born in \t'W York in 176". iind died in Ensrlanil in ISlfi. 
He cnlcrcd the British Army in his youth, and served witli distinction in the West 
Indies late in the hist century. In 1805 lie was commissioned a niajor-jreneral, an<l tlu- 
same year wa.s created a barcniet. lie was .second in command at the capture of Jlar- 
tiniijue in 1808. and became Governor of Nova Scotia the same year. He was made 
lieutenantjjeneral in 1811, and the same year wa.s appointed Governor-General of Canada. 
He retained that office until his return to Ensland, in 1814. 



NAVAL BATTLES NEAR PLATTSBURGH. 



429 




THOMAS JtACDONOrGH. 



<lonoiigh.* His flag-ship was tlie Saratoga,^ which was assisted by one 
brig, two scliooners, and ten gun-boats, or galleys. Downie's flag-ship 
was the Conjiance, which was assisted by one brig, two sloops, and 
twelve gun-boats. The British land 
and naval forces began an attack at 
about the same time on the morn- 
ing of the 11th. The battle was 
opened by the navy. Macdonough 
was only thirty-one years of age, 
pious, and trustful in Providence. 
When his ship was cleared for action 
lie knelt on her deck, with his chief 
ofticers around him, and implored 
the aid of the Ahuighty. Very 
soon the thunders of great guns 
boomed over the lake, and a sharp 
naval battle, wliieli lasted nearly 
two hours and a half, began, f The 
sublime spectacle was seen by 

hundreds of spectators ou the headlands of the Vermont shore of the nar- 
row lake. Tlie battle ended in a complete victory for the Americans. 
Both squadrons were dreadfully shattered. " There was not a mast in 
either squadron," Macdonough wrote, '' that could stand to make a sail 

* Thomas Macdonough was born in Dehiware in December, 1783, and died at sea, 
Xorombfr 14tli, 1825. lie was of Scotch-Irish descent. lie became a midsliipraan in 
tlic United States Navy in 1800, lieutenant in 1807, and commander in 1813. He had 
served with Decatur and Bainbridire in tlie Jlediterranean, and won a signal victory in a 
naval battle off Plattsburgh on September llth, 1814. for which service he received the 
thanks of Congress and a gold medal, and other rewards. Civil honors were bestowed 
upon him in several places. His health declined from the close of the war, and he lived 
but ten years afterward. 

f At the beginning of the battle a shot from a British vessel demolished a hen-coop on 
the Sarat<ir/,i. where a young game-cock which the sailor.s had brought from the shore, 
released from confinement and startled by the sound of cannons, flew up on a gun-slide, 
jxnd Happing his wings, crowed lustily and defiantly. The sailors regarded the incident 
as an omen of victory, and felt their courage strengthened. In a rhvming Kpixlle- of 
Bmther Jinuitlia n to Johnny Bull, written at the close of the war, is the following allu- 
.sion to this event : 

"O, Johnny Bull, my .Joe. John, 

Behold on Lake Champlain. 
With more than equal force, John, 

You tried your fint again ; 
But the cock saw how 'twas goinir. .John, 

And cried • cock-a-doodle-doo.' 
.\nd Macdonough was victorious, John, 

O. Johnny Bull, niv Joe." 



430 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



on." " Our masts, yards, and sails," wrote an officer of tlic Confiancc, 
"were so sliattered that one looked like so many bundles fit" matches, 
and the other like so many l)undles of rags .''' The Americans lost one 
hundred and ten men. the British over two hundred. Among the 
latter M'as (Commodore Downie, who was, slain, and was buried at 
Plattsburgh. 

There was a sharp and decisive conflict on the land at Plattsburgh while 

the battle was rairinir on the 
water. At the discharge of the 
first gun on the lake the British 
troops moved forward in thiee 
columns to force their way across 
the Saranac at the sites of the two 
destroyed bridges and at a ford 
three miles from the mouth of 
the river, to carry the American 
works by storm. After a des- 
perate battle for about two hours, 
with varying fortunes for both 
sides, the British were repulsed 
by the brave men under ilaconib* 
and Mooers. Tiie Americans 
were driving hack some of the 
way across the river, when Ilirani 
AValworth (afterward Chancellor of the State of Xew York) dashed 
up, his horse flecked with foam, ami announced that the British 
squadron on the lake had surrendered I The Americans gave hearty 
cheers. The enemy wavered. The timid Prevost, seeing the militia, 
who had come streaming over from Vermont and from the surrounding 
country, gathering on his flanks and rear, sounded a retreat. At mid- 
night he fled Canadaward with such precipitation that he left his sick 




.\I.EXANI>K1! MACOMB. 



enemy who had forced their 



* Alexander Macomb was son of a fur merchant, and wa-s born in Detroit in April. 
1782. Died in Wa.slungton, D. C, in June, 1841. He entered the army as cornet of 
cavalry iu 1799. At the lio,!:innin<r of the second war for indeix'ndence (1812-15). lie was 
a lieutenant of engineers and adjutant-jreneral of the iirniy. In the artillery service, he 
distiniruislud himself on the Xiajiara frontier. He was jironioted to briirailier jrenerai 
early iu ISH. and w.is left in chief command in the I.nke C'hamplain rcirion in the sum- 
mer of that year. His victory over the British at Plattsbiirirh in Seiitembcr won for liim 
great honoi-s — the thanks of Congress and a gold medal, and awar<ls from others. «)n 
the <leath of General Brown, in 183.i, he was made gencral-in-chief of tlie armies of the 
United States, which position he held at the time of liis death. His remains repose be- 
neath a handsome monument in the Consrressional burving groimd at Wa.shington. 



THE BUITISII KEPULSED AT PLATTSBURGH. 431 

and wounded and a vast amount of stores beliind. A pursuit was begun^ 
but lieavy rains compelled the pursuers to give up the chase. The 
British had lost in killed, "wouiuled, and deserted, from the t.Uh to the 
11th of September, about twenty-five hundred men. Macomb and 
Macdonongli became the recipients of high lionors and of solid rewards. 
The flight of Prevost to Canada ended military operations of impor- 
tance on the northern frontier of Xew York.^ The activt^ and eflicient 
Chauncey had been compelled to remain inactive during a large portion 
uf the season. Tie M-as blockaded at Sackett's Harbor b}' a British 
squadron, and when he was ready to go out and fight tlie bloekaders he 
was prostrated l)y severe sickness. While convalescing he went out on 
a cruise and blockaded the British squadron in Kingston Harbor. A 



* The viclorv at PlattshiirGrh and the flight of Prevost fornied the burden of one of 
the most popiihir of the many soni^s composed durina: tlic war. It was written by Micajah 
Hawkins, and "was first sung at a theatre in AUiany by him. in the character of a negro 
sailor. It was entitled 

THE SIEGE OF PLATTSBURGU. 
Tune, " Boyne Waler.'^ 

Backside Albany stan' Lake Champlain, 

Litlle pond half full o' water : 
Plat-te-bnr^h dar too. close "pon de main : 

Town pmall, he grow bigger, do, herearter. 
On Lake Champlain Uncle Sam get he boat, 

An' Maissa Macdonough sail "em ; 
While (TJneral Macomb make Plat-te-burgh he home 

Wid de army whose courage nebber fail *em. 

On 'lebenth day Sep-tem-ber, 

In eighteen hnn'red and fourteen, 
Gubbernor Probose an" he British so-jer 

Come to Plat-te-burgh a tea-party courlin'. 
An" he boat come, too, arter Unele SamV boat. 

JIassa 'Donough look sharp out de winder ; 
Den Gineral ]\Iacomb lah I he always at home) 

Cotch fire too, Sirs, like tinder. 

Bang ! bang ! bang ! den de cannons "gin to roar 

In Phit-te-bnrgh an' all 'bout dat quarter ; 
Gubbernor Probose try he ban' 'pon de shore. 

While he boat take he hick "pon de water. 
Bui Maf^sa Macdonough knock he boat in he head. 

Break he heart, break he shin, 'tove he caff'n in ; 
An' Ginerai Maccmib start ole Probose home, 

'Tot nie soul den I muss die a laffin. 

Proboge scare so he lef all behine. 

Powder, ball, cannon, tea-pot an' kittle; 
Some say he cotch a cole— trouble iu In- mine, 

'Cause he eat so much raw an" cole viule. 
X'ncle Sam berry eorrj', to be sure, for he pain ; 

Wish he nuss hisself up well an" hearty. 
For Gineral Macomb and Massa "Donough home 

When he notion foranudder tea-party. 



i32 THE EMPIKE STATE. 

vessel niinied iSf. Lawrence, pierced for one Iiuiidrcd and twelve ijnns, 
was completed at Kingston on September 1st, wlien Cluiuncey prudently 
raised the blockade and returned to the Iiarbor. That ship, carrying 
over one tliousand men, with other vessels of war, made Sir James Yeo 
lord of the lake during the remainder of the season. The Americans 
determined to match the St. Laiorence, and laid the keels of two tirst- 
class frigates at Sackett's Iiarbor. The New Orleans, nearing com- 
pletion when peace came early in 1S15, is still on the stocks at the Harbor. 
A land and naval force was prepared in the spring of 1814 for tlie 
purpose of recapturing Fort Mackinaw in tlic far North-west. It left 
Detroit early in July. It destroyed the post of the Xortli-west Fur 
Company at the Falls of St. Mary. The agents of this company liad 
been persistent in inducing the Indians to make war on the frontier 
settlements of tlie United States l)eyond the Oiiio. The garrison of tlie 
fort to be taken was too strong for the small Amejicaii force, and the 
enterprise was abandoned. 



THE BRITISH OX THE NEW ENGLAND COASTS. 433 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

While tlie military events we luive considered in the preceding 
chapter were occurring on the borders of the State of New York during 
ISl-t, otliers of equal importance were taking place at various points in 
the republic. 

Late in August (ISl-t) General Duncan McArthur, with seven hundred 
mounted men of Kentucky and Ohio, left Detroit, crossed into Canada, 
and made a terrifying raid through the western portion of the province 
from Lake St. Clair eastward to the Grand River, and back to Sandwich. 
lie spread alarm everywhei'e. Fear magnitied the number of his men 
to thousands. The object of the raid was to create a diversion in favor 
of the Americans on the Niagara frontier. It was effectual. For four 
weeks McArthur skurried hundreds of miles through the enemy's 
country, disarming and paroling the militia, and destroying public prop- 
erty ; but he was generous to inoifensive citizens. 

New England had experienced very little actual war before the year 
ISl-i. From the end of 1813 until the close of the contest, British block- 
ading s(piadrons and single cruisers hovered along its coasts, barred its 
sea-ports against commerce, and kept its maritime cities and villages in a 
state of continual alarm and dread. 

Pursuant to an order of the British Admiral Cochran given to the 
commanders of war- vessels to " destroy the sea-port towns and desolate 
the country," much property M'as wasted on the coasts of Maine and 
Massachusetts ; and Stonington, in Connecticut, a little east of New 
London, sutTurcd a severe bomliardment. Formidable sfpiadrons block- 
aded the Delaware River, New York Harbor, New London, and Boston. 
The largest of these squadrons on the New England coast was com- 
manded by Commoilore Sir T. M. Hardy. 

After seizing a portion of Eastern Maine, Hardy menaced Portsmouth 
and Boston. The hast-named city was almost defenceless. Stimulated 
l)y alarm and the instinct of self-preservation, citizens of Boston of every 
class turned out daily with implements of labor, ami worked energetically 
in the construction of defences for the town. Informed of these prep- 
arations, and having a wholesome fear of Fulton's torpedoes, with which 
common report said some of the American sea-port harbors were strewn, 
Hardy did not venture within the roads, and Boston was saved. 



434 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

New York was eriually excited by patriutisiii and alarm. In daily 
expectation of an attack by a British land and naval force which iiad 
been operating in Ciiesa])cake Bay, men of all classes and occnpations 
worked daily in building fortitieations at Brooklyn and Harlem. De 
Witt Clinton was then mayor of the city of New York. lie issued a 
stirring appeal (August 2d, 1814) to the patriotism and the interests of 
the citizens, calling upon them to offer their personal services and 
pecuniary means to aid in the completion of the uniinishcd fortifications 
around the town. The response to this appeal was prompt and gen- 
erous.* ^remljers of various churches and of social and benevolent 
organizations went out in groups, as such, to the patriotic task. So also 
did different craftsmen under their respective banners : 

" Plumbers, founders, dyers, tinners, tanners, sliavcrs. 
Sweeps, elerks, and criers, jewellers, enfrravers, 
C''>tU\ers, drapers, players, cartnien, hatters, nailers, 
Gaugers, scalers, weighers, carpenters, and sailors." 

TVitliin four days after Clinton's address three thousand persons were 
at work on the fortitieations under the direction of a Defence Committee 
and engineers guided by lines drawn by General Joseph G. Swift. The 
enthusiasm of the people was intense. School-teachers and their piijjils 
went together to the patriotic task, and little boys, too small to handle a 
spade or pickaxe, carried earth on shingles, and so added their mites in 
rearing the breastworks. New York City was soon well defended by 
fortifications and numerous militia, and no blockader ventured within 
the harbor. Sanmel "Woodworth concluded a stirring poem published 
at that time with the following lines, addressed to the British :t 

" Better not invade ; recollect the spirit 
Which our dads displayed and their sons inherit. 

* Money to ei-eet forlilieations must be had at once. The Legislature was not in ses- 
sion. The credit of the National Government was so low at thai, the most critical period 
of the war. that Ihe lianks would not loan money on its stock or its Treiisury notes with- 
out other .security. It was understood, however, that if Treasury notes were dei)osited, 
endorsed by Governor Tompkins, the banks would advance four or five hundred thousand 
dollars. Rufus King went to the governor and said. " The time is arrived when it is the 
duty of every man to put his all at the rerpiisition of the Government." and (hat he him- 
.self (tliouiili a leader <if tlie opiionent.s of ifr. Madison) was rea<ly to do so. The governor 
said he shoidd be obliged to take the responsibility, and should Ix' ruined. " Ruin your- 
self if it becomes neces.s,iry to save j-our country," said the patriolie ^Ir. King. " and I 
pledge you my honor that I will supi)ort you in whatever you do." The governor en- 
dorsed the notes and Ihe banks loaned the money. 

t The whole poem, in eight stanzjis, may be found in Lossing's Pictorial Field Book 
of the War of 1812, page 970. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL THREATENED. 435 

If you still advance, friendly caution slighting, 
You may get, by chance, a bellyful of fighting. 

Pickaxe, shovel, spade, crowbar, hoe and barrow ; 

Better not invade ; Yankees have the marrow." 

Philadelphia e.\liil)iteil a similar spirit on a like occasion at that time, 
and the aiiiphiliioiis marauders met with such resistance at every point 
that the terrible order of Cochran conld not be executed. Hardy was 
kept out of the Thames and from New London by Commodore Lewis 
with some gun-boats on Long Island Sound, and lie was discomfited at 
Stonington and driven away by a few determined men. 

Early in Jaimary, ISl-i, the National Government was informed that 
four thousand British troops destined for the United States had landed 
at Bermuda. At the close of April intelligence was received of the 
temporary downfall of Napoleon, as we have observed, which would 
release man}' British troops from service on the Continent and allow 
them to come to America ; and on July 1st official intelligence reached 
the President that a fleet of transports with a large land force bound to 
some port in the United States, " probably in the Potomac," was about 
to sail from Bermuda. 

The Government gave little heed to these warnings, and when, at the 
middle of August, a British squadron of about sixty sail appeared in 
Chesapeake Bay, with si.\ thousand land troops under General Boss, one 
of Wellington's best officers, destined for the capture of the national 
capital, there was no force to oppose the invaders excepting a small 
flotilla of armed barges and a schooner under Commodore Joshua Barney, 
and a few scattered militia. The British fleet drove Barney's flotilla 
into the Patuxent River, and blockaded it there. The flotilla went far 
up the river to a point not to be reached by the British ships. 

Meanwhile the invaders in armed barges pursued the flotilla, when 
Barney blew it up, and with his marines joined the forces which General 
Winder,* the commander of the district, was hastily gathering. Five 
thousand of the British force landed at Benedict, thirty miles from the 
mouth of the Patuxent. Finding the American flotilla a smoking ruin, 

* William H. Winder was a native of Somerset County. Md. , and was born in February, 
1775. He died in Baltimore in Jlay, 1824. He was a successful lawyer in Baltimore 
from 1798 until 1812. when lie was appointed colonel of infantry in .Inly, and served on 
the Niagara frontier. In the spring of 1813 he was commissioned brigadier-general ; 
made prisoner at Stony Creek. Canada : was exchanged, and made insi>ector-general in 
May, 1814. He commanded the Tenth District, and was engaged in the defence of Wash- 
ington City and the city of Baltimore in the summer of 1814. After the war he resuinccl 
the practice of his jinifession, and served with credit in important civil stations. He 
was a State senator of .Maryland at one time. 



4:!G TIIK KMIMKK STATK. 

tlioy jiressed forward towanl Wiisliiiii;ton. Wiiulor, wlio liad only about 
tliroo tliousaiid iiK-ii, most of tliein uiidiscipliiicd, retreati-d in tliu direc- 
tion of the capital, and that nij^lit (August 23d) the invaders, w Iid had 
been joined hy Cockhurn and his ani|)hi!)ions niaranders, eiicanii>ed 
witiiin ten miles of Wasiiinijton. 

Winder left some troo])s at J>ladensburir, four miles from the caijital, 
nnd with otliers watched the hiujhways leadinj; from it, uncertain what 
point niij:;]it be iirst attacked. On the morniiii:: of tiie '2Mi, while 
Winder and the Cabinet were in consultation, word came to the general 
tiiat the Ihitish were pressing toward l)ladensburg. lie huri'ied to that 
village with re-enforcements. His little arm}' was in great ])eril, for the 
invaders were overwhelming in numbei*. To retreat would be perilous, 
lie must either tight or surrender, lie chose to fight, and at a little 
past noon a sharp battle was begun. Many of the militia soon tied. 
Karney ami his men sustainetl the brunt of the conflict until that leader 
was badly wounded, when Wimler, seeing no ground fi>r hope of a 
victory, ordered a retreat. Tlie invaders had lost fully five hundred 
men in killed and wounded during a struggle of four hours. Among 
their lost were several officers of distinction. 

The President (Madison) and some of his Cabinet, who had watched 
the battle, hastened back to the city as fast as fleet horses could carry 
them, conveying the first news of impending danger. The victoi"s 
followed, and entered the city at evening twilight. Tiiey at once l>egan 
to plunder and tiestroy. The l'rt'sident"s house, the Cai>itol, the 
Treasury buildings, the arsenal and the barracks were burned. Of the 
public buildings only the Patent OfHce was saved. 8onic private houses 
were sacked and some were burnt. Aleanwhiie the commandant of the 
Navy-Yard fired the public property there — buildings, vessels, and stores 
— in obedience of an order to prevent their falling into the hands of the 
enemy. Altogether proi>erty of the estimated value of s2,(lU(i,0l»0 wiis 
laid waste. 

While the people of England loudly condemned and deplored this 
barbarous act, the British (Tovernment caused the Tower guns to be fired 
in honor of Ross's victory, and at his death, a few weeks later, it decreed 
biiu a moiiiiiiient in ^Vcstminstcr Abbey. This was well, for he was a 
lirave and humane soldier. 

The Ih-itish now menaced Baltimore. They started from Washington 
on the night of the ;i.")th, and after resting and recruiting at the mouth 
of tiie Patnxent, they a|>i>eared in force on Patapsco Pay, at the head of 
which Baltimore stands, then a city of forty thousand iidiabitants. The 
people of that cit}' had wisely prepared for the reception of the invadere. 



TIIK I'.HIIISII KKITLSEI) AT liALTIMOUE. 437 

Fort ilcTIenry, wliicli defended tlie harbor, was garrisoned by a thousand 
men nnder Major Arniistead ; rodou!)ts were erected, and a large 
number of troops were gatliered around tlie city. 

On the morning of September 12th General Ross, witli nine thousand 
troops, landed at North Point, twelve miles from Ualtimore. The 
Americans had about the same nundjer within call. Three tliousand of 
these, under (Jencnd Strickiir, were sent out to watch the invaders. 
C!onfi(h'nt of success, Kdss and (!iicl<bui'ii were riding gayly at the head 
of the advancing liritish troops, when a rille-l)all from a company of 
concealed shar))shooters mortally wounded the Uritish conimanding 
general. Tin' troops wei'(! then led by ('olonel Brooke. Tlicy ])ressed 
on toward Ualtiniore, encountering (General Strieker's advanced troops 
in a sharp engagement, 'i'he liritish bivouacked on the battle-iield that 
night. 

In the mean time a heavy iiritish naval force was anchored before Fort 
Mclleiu'v out of range of its moderate-sized guns, and prepared to bom- 
bard it and its supporting redoubts the next morning (Se])tcnd)cr K^th), 
when the British land force should move upon lialtimore. This was 
done at the appointed time. Arinistead gallantly defended the fort 
thrcnigh all the bond)ardment, and ke])t the assailants at bay. The contest 
contimiod twenty-iive hours, during which time fully twenty-five hundred 
shells were thrown." The land forces of the enemy were confronted by 
determined troops nnder Generals Strieker and Winder. Very soon the 
British commaiulers hecame convinced that they ctould iu)t take Balti- 
more, and the bombardment of I'ort Mcilenry suddenly ceased on the 
morning of the 14th. The British troops hastily withdrew to their shi|)s 
in darkness anil rain at three o'clock in the morning, and the entire 
armament went down the bay, greatly crestfallen. Sir (Jeorge Brcvost, 
wbu liad n^turned to Afontreal from Plattsburgh, postponed rejoicings 
there because of the capture of Washington iintil he should hear of the 

* The iKiinbanlmciU of Fort McIIciiry was llic occasion wliicli inspired Francis S. Key 
to write the popular song, " The Star-s|iaMnle(l Banner." Dr. Means, a ilistin.s;iiisheil 
and nuieh-loveil physician of Maryland, hail licen carried liy llie Hrilisli. when reln'alinj; 
from \Vashin.i;lon, on board their ship. Mr. Key and Mr. Skinner, of Baltimore, went to 
thutleet with a tla.;;, to procure Dr. Beans's release. They also were detained on lioaril 
as the fleet was about to sail for Baltimore. They were compelled to witness the l)oni- 
bardment from one of the British ships. Tlieir an.xiety wa.s very great when, before the 
dawn of the 14th, tlie fort was silent. They did not know whether it had surrendered or 
not. They were rejoiced when. " at the dawn's early li.nht," tliey saw tliat " our Hag wa.s 
slill llnre." waving over the fort. It was while pacing the deck at that early hour in 
the morning, tilled with doul)l, tliat, Key composed that stirring song. The prisoners 
were sent on shore when the tleet dei)arted. 



438 Tin; kmi'Iui: siatk. 

seizure of JJaltiiuore, tliat hoth events iiiiglit lie (celebrated at tlie same 
time. lie was denied tiiat gratification. 

Let us turn for a moment to the consideration of operations on tlie 
ocean during tlie remainder of the war. 

In May, 1814, Captain Johnston Blakcly crossed the sea with tli(3 sloo])- 
of-war Wmj>, of eighteen guns, and spread terror among the I>ritish 
Rhip))ing in the English Channel. She captured one sloop-of-w:ir and 
fought others. During the autumn she was lost somewhere witli all her 
company. She was never heard of afterwanl. 

Captain Warrington had sailed on a cruise from .New "^'ork in the 
sloop-of-war T'cdn/ck, and in April caj^tured the JJritish sloop-of-M'ar 
£pe7iner, a valuable prize having §118,000 in .specie on board of her. 
In a later cruise to the shores of Portugal the Peacock captured fourteen 
vessels, and returned to New York in October. 

The frigate Constitution was thoroughly repaired after Ijainbridge 
relinquished the command of lier, and she went to sea uiuler the eom- 
inand of Captain Charles Stewart * late in 1813. She sailed to the coast 
of Surinam, South America, captured the sloop-of-war Pictou, and, 
returning to the ?s'e\v England coast, was chased into the harbor of 
]\larblehcad by two powerful British frigates. She did not go to sea 
again until near the close of December, 181-1, Nvhen she started ou a 
cruise, crossed the Atlantic, ami late in l''ebruary, 1815, she fought at 
the same time and captured two Bi-itish vessels (the frigate Cijane and 
sloop-of-war Levant) off the coast of Portugal. Peace had then been 
declared. 

This exjdoit gained for Stewart great renown. Congress gave him 
thanks and a gold medal, and the city of New York awai'ded him the 
lienor of the freedom ()f the city in a gold box. After that the Conxti- 

* Charles Stewart wa.s born in PliiUulelphia in July, 1778 ; died at Bordentown, N. J., 
in Xdveniber, ISIiiJ, in Ihc iiincly-sw-ond year of his a;j:i'. He wa.s the. youngest of eight 
<hildr(-n, and lost his father when he was two years old. lie went to sea as a cabin boy. 
and became captain of an I'>a.st Indiainan when he was eighteen years of age. In 1798 
he was commissioned a lieutenant in the navy, and was in command of the schooner 
Expcriiiuiit, in 1800, in a light with the French .scliooner Tlic Tiro fruiDln, whieli he caji- 
tured. He .soon made other Cdiujuesis. He .served gallantly against tlie Haibary powers, 
and in May. 1H04, became a master commandant, and was placed in charge of the frigate 
Esscj: lie became captain in 180(i. In 1S12 he was placed in command of the Ctinstiita- 
iioii. Ilis chief exploit w.as the capture of two ves,sels at the same time with the Cniisti- 
iiitioH. After the AVar of 1812-1.1 lie was in command of the Mediterranean siiiiadnin. 
and was almo.st continually in the naval serrice until the breaking out of the Civil AVar in 
1861. In 1857 he wa.s placed on the retired list, but in 1859 he was replaced on the active 
list (then eighty-one years of age) by .special legislation. In 1862 he was promoted to 
rear-admiral on the retired list. 



AMERICAN PHIVATEEKIXG. 



439 



tution was called Old Ironsides, and Stewart bore the same title until 
his death in ISG'J, when he was in the ninety-second year of his age, and 
held the rank of rear-admiral. The Constitution still (1887) survives. 

In the snnunier of ISl-t Commodore Decatur, whose vessels had been 
blockaded at New London a long time, M-as placed in command of the 
frigate President and three other vessels — Peacoch, Caj)tain Warring- 
ton ; Hornet, Captain Biddle, and a store-ship — destined for a raid on 
the British shipping in the East Indies. The President left the harbor 
of New York at the middle of January, 1815, eluded the blockades at 
Sandy Hook, and put to sea. She was chased by four British ships-of- 
war. Heavily laden for a long cruise, the President could not sail fast, 




A CWPPER-BITILT SCHOONER. 



and after a jirotracted chase and running fight she was compelled to 
surrender. 

Late in January the commanders of the other vessels of Decatur's 
squadron, ignorant of the fate of the President, put to sea and sailed for 
an appointed place of rendezvous at one of a group of islands in the 
South Atlantic Ocean. There the Hornet met the British sloop Penguin. 
They had a desperate fight, and the Hornet gained the victory in twenty 
minutes. This brilliant exploit won for Biddle honors and rewards. 
Captain Warrington proceeded to the East Indies, and in June, 1815, 
the /'eacoc^" captured the i\^'<(^?' /'/;/* in the Straits of Sunda. Informed 
the next day of the ratification of the treaty of peace some months 
before, Warrington gave up the prize. On his return home he also 
received honors. The war was over, and every American cruiser, 
public and private, had returned to port. 

The achievements of American privateers upon the ocean during the 
war were wonderful. The romantic story of their exploits has filled a 



440 



Tin: i:.>[i'ii{K statk. 



urge volu,ne (Cog.eshaIl'« JIUory of American Privateers), and yet 
the half ]k,,s not l.eon told. Tliese exploits were b..t a repetition „f the 
doings m the reorular service. After the first six n.onths of the war the 
l.ulk of the naval conriiets upon the sea on the part of the Americans 
wa.s carncf ,m hy private ar.ne.l vessels, which " took, l.nrned, and 
destroyed ,,xteen hundred British nierchantn.en, of all classes, in the 

space of three years. The most 
famous of these privateers for 
speed and efficiency were the Bal- 
timore clippers. 

A large number of privateers 
w-cre sent ont from the port of 
Xew 1 ork, and muny merchants 
reaped more bountiful pecuniary 
harvests by this me;u)s than they 
could have done by the slower 
processes of commerce. The most 
noted of these New York priva- 
teers was the General Annxtrunij, 
Captain Samuel C. Iteid." in 
September, 1814, while slie was 
lying in the harbor of Fayal, at 
one of the islands of the Azores, 
of the same name, belonging to 
Bortugah she w:i.s suddenly" at- 
I'V a part ot a large P.ritisb squadron. The attacking vessels 
(•arned one hundred and thirty-three guns in the aggregate, while the 
General Arrmtrong carried only seven. There were three attacks between 
the evening and the morning twilight. A terrific conflict lasting forty 
nunutes occurred at nudnight. At each attack the plucky Armstrong 
epulsed her assa, ants, who lost in the struggle of ten hours over three 
iH.ndred men, winle the An.ericans lo.<t only two killed and seven wounded 




CAPTAIN SAMUEL C. UKm. 



tacked 



lo.k in .ani.nj, 1861. lie ^sm^ to sea when only eleven rears of a-e He was an 
; "'i:t r:;:;: -"f :^'"""r-« ^mxton; became enan^redwinrme;;.:r: 

position unt. his death. He wa.s for a time warden of the Port of Xew Y„rk -.n,! Mu- 
. ventor of the se.naphore or telegraph ti.sod at the Narrows before ,.h eu' o n. ie ^ 
elegraph w„.s perfected. Captain Heid has the honor of bein. ,he desi^ne o he ~ 



JACKSON OALLKD TO NEW ORLEANS. Wl 

War at the Xorth was now ended, hut there was ti-oul)le in the South- 
west late in ISl-i. We have considered Jackson's eanipaii^n against the 
Creek Indians. The British, favored hy the Spanish governor of 
Florida, had t-iven the Creeks hope, and induced them to join the forces 
from Great Britain against the Americans. A British squadron, hy 
permission of the Spanish authorities, took possession of Pensacohi, and 
there titted out an expedition against the fort at the entrance to Mobde 
Bay. British Lmd troops and Creek Indians attacked it at the middle 
of Septendier. They were repulsed. 

General Jackson, then at ilobile, hokling the Spanish governor 
responsible for the attack on the fort, marched from that to^m with two 
thousmd Tennessee militia, seized Pensacola, drove the British from the 
harlior and compelled the Spanish governor to beg for mercy and to 
surrender the tnwn and the military works unconditionally. On return- 
ino- at once to ^[obile, tlie victorious general found messengers with 
urgent calls for him to hasten to New Orleans to assist in defending that 
city and Louisiana from a threatened formidable invasion. The British 
cniising in the Gulf of ^lexico had been re-enforeed by thousands ot 
troops from Great Britain. 

Jackson instantly obeyed the call. He arrived at iNew Orleans on 
December 2d (ISUi, and found the people in a state of fearful alar.n 
and eonfusion. He assumed heavy responsibilities He dec ared 
martial law, and by vigorous measures under that rule he soon placed 
the c ty in an attitude of comparative security. When an eftic.ent oflicer 
fresh from the Spanish peninsula, Generul Bakenham, .vith about twelve 
thousuid troops, most of them Wellington's veterans, entered Lake 
Borgie, Jackson felt confident of success even against such fearful odd.. 
Afte^ a naval stru-le on Lake Borgne, in which a flotilla ot American 
; gun-boats was destroyed, twenty-four hundred British troops under he 
Irish General Keane pushed on to the Mississippi P.iver, nine mdes 
below New Orleans, with the expectation of taking that city by surprise, 
keane was betrayed by an escaped prisoner, and in the gloom on he 
\i<rU of December 23d he was attacked and defeated by Americans led 
;; General Jackson in person. In this aifray the Ameru^ans bst m 
Klled and w.-unded about two hundred men ; the British lost about torn 
Ikndred. The Americans were assisted by an armed vessel on tlie m ei, 
?iv ^Viich produced a panic. , ,. 

"* ^J Orleans wis saved from surprise : no. it kuI to 1- -ed horn 

oin invasion. General Bakenham took the chief — ^"^ « J^^ 
t?6ps, and pushed on toward Kew Orleans. Across ns ^f^^"^ 
Miis ippi to a deep cypress swamp Jackson cast up a line ot breast, oik. 



U-i THE EMPIRE STATE. 

■with <j:rcut colerity. Wlicii tlie invador aiiproacliud to the phiin of 
Chahiiette (Jaiiuaiy stli, \X\^>) witli liis mIioIi; land force, and stood in 
battle array before the ini|)r(>vi;;ed fortifications, hope for the Americans 
seemed very dim. 

Behind those breastworks there was an ominous silence as the British 
veterans approached to tlie attack. When they had reached within 
oannon-sliot range of Jackson's batteries the latter ojiened npoi; thciii 
with terrible effect, cutting fearful lanes through the ranks of the British. 
Yet the latter pressed forward until they were within range of the 
American rifles, when a host suddenly arose and with a deadly tempest 
of bullets swept the British line. Whole platoons were mown dowu like 
grass before a scythe. Officer after officer was slain. Pakenhani fell, 
bleeding and dying, into the arms of McDougall, his favorite aide. Very 
soon the assailants l)roke and fled, their retreat covered by General 
Lambert at the head of reserves. The slaughter and maiming had been 
dreadful. The vampiished left seven hundred of their dead ai'd four- 
teen hundred of their wounded on the field, and five hundred wei'e made 
prisoners. The .Vmericans lost only eight killed and thirteen woiuided. 
They had been protected by breastworks, while the invaders were 
exposed on an open plain. 

The vanquished Britons, led Ijy (Tcneral Lambert, stole away .inder 
cover of darkness on the night after the battle, and escaped to their 
ships. General Jackson and his men entered Xew Orleans as vi:'tors. 
There special honors were bestowed upon the conqueror as a delirerer. 
lie had saved the city and the State. Thirteen years afterward the 
jieople of the United States chose him to be the Chief Magistrate of the 
republic. 

Before this conflict on the jilaiii of Chalmette peace between the 
United States and Great Ijritain had been secured by a treaty negotiated 
and signed at Ghent, in Belgium. Commissioners of the two govern 
ments,* chosen for the j)urpo,se, met in ,Vugust, lSl-4, and conclude( 
their labors on Decendjer 24th following. The treaty was ratified b' 
the British Govcirnmetit on the 'iSth, and by that of the ITnited State 
on February 17th, ISL").- ,\s the uews of peace went slowly over tie 
land intense joy and satisfaction were everywhere felt. 

Nowhere was the intelligence more welcome than in the commenal 
city of Xew York. The Jiews was* brought to that port on the evenng 
of February 11 th by the .sloop-of-war Favorite, forty-two days fom 

* The United States C-'ommissioners were John Quincy Adams, James A. Board, 
Henry Clay, Jonathan Russell, and .Mbeil Gallatin. Tlie British Commissionerswere 
Lord Gan)l)icr, Ilenrv Goidboiirn, anil William Adanis. 



PEACE WITH CHEAT BRITAIN PROCLAIMED. 443 

Portsmontli. Now it might come in forty-two seconds ! The streets 
M-ere speedily thronged witli an excited multitude. Placards were 
printed by the 2fercantile Advertiser, announcing the happy event, and 
thrown out of the window. They were caught up and read with the 
greatest avidity by the people. The air was soon resonant with huzzas. 
Cannons thundered, bells were rung, and bonfires blazed. In cities and 
large villages all over the land the abounding joy was manifested by 
banquets, orations, and illuminations. There were rejoicings in Great 
Britain ; and there were rejoicings in Canada because of the deliverance 
of the people from the fear of invasion. 

This sudden outbreak of joy was soon tempered by the unpleasant 
reflection that much advantage expected to be gained by the war and 
the treaty had not been ac(piired. Indeed, the subjects of impressments, 
the right of search, the orders in council and ])aper blockades, had all 
been passed over without specific notice in the treaty. These omissions 
were made powerful weapons in the hands of the opponents of the war. 
The New York Evening Post, anticipating this failure, printed in the 
" New Year's Address" of its carriers, several weeks before the arrival 
of the treaty, the following stanza : 

" Your commprce is wantonly lost. 

Your treasures are wasted and gone ; 
Y'ou'vc fought to no end, but with niillions of cost ; 
And for rivers of blood, you've nothing to boast. 

But credit and nation undone." 

But the war did secure the positive and permanent independence of 
the United States, and gave our republic a position among the most con- 
spicuous of the nations of the earth. 

The haughty spirit manifested by the British Government during the 
negotiations at Ghent in dcnuiuding terms which were humiliating to 
the Americans had excited anew the war spirit here, and the Govern- 
ment determined to prosecute the struggle with more vigor than ever. 
Conscription was resorted to in the early fall of IS 13. This measure, 
which offended State pride, brotight matters to a crisis in New England, 
where the Peace Faction was yet quite j^owerful. The jjcople of that 
section had been suspected of disloyalty to tiie National Government, 
while the latter adopted some injudicious measures calculated to promote 
such a feeling. Suspicions aiul discontents culminated in a conference 
of sympathizing New England States to consult upon j)ublic matters and 
to consider a radical reform in the National Constitution. A convention 
composed of twenty-six delegates assembled at Hartford, Conn., on 
December 15tli, 1S14-, and held their sessions in secret. 



m THE K.MPIKE STATE. 

The sittings of tlic Hartford Convention continued about three weeks. 
At the time of its adjournment it was believed a necessity niiglit recjuire 
the members to assemble again, and the seal of secrecy was not removed 
from their proceedings. This gave rise to wild rumors, conjectures, and 
suspicions. The convention had been suspected of treasonable designs, 
and had been closely watched ; now the members were regarded as dis- 
loyal to the Government, and dared not avow it. When, in after years, 
the proceedings were made pul)lic, it was perceived tliat the Hartford 
ronventioii was composed of as loyal and patriotic men as any in the 
land. Their political opponents, however, made the most of the public 
prejudice which had been created, and for more than a score of years 
afterward tiie partisan cry, "a Hartford Convention Federalist !" cast 
in some degree a sort of undefined odium on the man to whom the 
epithet was applied. 



GOVKKNORS TOMPKINS AND CLINTON. 445 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

Druixi; tlio war we liave jnst liecn coiisiderinir, and which made tlie 
noitiieni and western frontiers of the State of New York the tiieatre of 
almost (tontinualiy stirring military events, the civil affairs of the eom- 
nionwealth were eonducted in an admirable manner under tlic i>;niding 
hand of Daniel D. Tompkins, who was Governor of the State from ISO" 
until 1817. He was energetic, judicious, courageous, and patriotic. In 
politics he was of the " JelTersoii School." lie had serveil his country 
in the State Constitutional Convention ; in the State Legislature ; in 
Congress ; as Judge of the Supreme Court of the State, and as Ciian- 
cellor of tlie University. lie was commander of the Third Military 
Disti'ict during the war, and he contributed greatly to the success of the 
national arms by his energy in calling out and etpiipping troops fctr the 
service. Governor Tompkins was Vice-President of the United States 
during the eight years of ^lonroe's administration, and early in the last 
year of his governorship he won iMmu)rtal honor by reconuiiending to 
the Legislature in a special message the total abolition of slavery in the 
State of New York after duly 4th, 1827. 

During the lirst quarter of this century De AVitt Clinton was 
uniiiuibtcdly tlie foremost public man of the State in pciiiit of mental 
force, wisdom, sagacity, energy, and statesmanship ; and he was more 
active aiul effective in the promotion of measures for the general benetit 
of society than any other citizen of his time. We have noticed his career 
up to the breaking out of the War of 1812-15. He was appointed 
Mayor of tlie city ot New York in 1803, and held that important position 
continuously until 1815 (excepting two years when he was lieutenant- 
governor) witli great acceptance to the people. lie divided the nation 
with Mr. Madison as a candidate for the presidency, but did not win the 
prize. Li 1817 he was chosen Governor of the State almost without a 
contest, and was re-elected in 1S20, and again in 1S24. His was the 
chief moral and intellectual force which carried forward from conception 
to completion the great Erie Canal. 

It was in the year 1812 that Martin Van Euren,* who so long held a 

* Martin Van B>n-en, the eighth Presiik'nt of the United States, was born in Kinder- 
liook, N. Y., December 5tli, 1783 ; died tliere July 24th, 18()3. lie was admitl.d to the 
bar in 1803. Fond of politics, he took an active part in elections while yet a youth. At 
the age of twenty-four he was appointed Surrogate of Columbia County, and iu 1812 was 



440 



THE K.MI'IlfK STATE. 



-J^ 



coiit^piciioiis position in tliu politics of the State aiid nation, made liis 
first appearance in a legislative capacity as a senator fi-oin the .Middle 
District of Xew York. His mental ahilitics, tact, and c;ip;icity for 
adroit manaircnient of men speedily irave him the position of leader of 
the democratic meml)ers of the Legislature. He was a zealous " Clin- 
tonian" then, and an earnest advocate of the war. 

It was at this period th;it the Legislature took a step which was 

of vast benefit to tiie cause of po]ni- 
lar education. \t the ndddle of 
January, 1S12, tln'y apj)ointed Gide- 
on ILiwley, an energetic, hard-work- 
ing, benevolent-minded and modest 
young lawyer of Albany. Super- 
intendeiit of Public Schools, under 
the provisions of an act passed at the 
])revious session. Tie perfected a 
system for the management of the 
school fund and for its equitable dis- 
/ ■ ^S^^ v: ' * tribution into every school district in 

the State, which he had organized 
in every neigliI)C)rli()od. lie devised 
a jilai; of operations by which this 
vast machinery might be moxcd and 
managed by a single individual. For 
these important services, with others, the State paid Mr. Ilawley §300 a 
year I Posterity has rewarded this fine scholar and pul)lic benefactor with 
full appreciation and unstinted praise when contemplating the result of 
his benevolent labors. Mr. Ilawley died in 1870 at the age of eighty- 
five years, having served as a Regent of the University twenty-seven 
years, and a Hegent of the Snnthsoniau Institution twenty-four years.* 

sent to tlic Slate Senate. From 1815 lo 1819 he was Attorney-General of the Stale. In 
1819 he bejian a reorganization of the Democratic Party, anil became the leader of the 
IMlilicians known as the " Albany Regency." In 1821 lie became a menilKT of the 
United States Senate, and again in 182T ; was chosen Governor of New York in 1828 ; 
entered President .Jackson's Cabinet as S<'eretary of State in 1829. and was sent Minister 
to England in 18;U. The Senate refused to ratify his appointment, and he was chosen 
Vice-President of the United States. He was elected President in 183C. His adminis- 
tration was marked by great commercial troubles. In 1848 lie wa-s an unsuccessful 
candidate of the "Free Soil" Party for President. He visited Europe in 18.");i-.')5. 
AVhen the Civil War broke out ilr. Van Buren took decided grounds against the enemies 
of the Republic. 

* Gideon Ilawley was born in Iluntiuglou. Conn., in 1785 ; died at Albany, X. Y., in 
August, 1870. He was a graduate of Union College. In 1794 he took up his abode at 



I 




M.VKTIN V.\N niliEN. 



CIVIL AFFAlliS IN TUK STATE. 447 

In the session of tlic Le>i;iKliiture early in 1S1;{ sliarp collisions began 
to oceiir between the two houses on all (]uestioiis which related to the 
]>rosecution of the war. The niiiitia which had been called out the pre- 
vious autumn by the governor had returned dissatisfied with the service. 
The Federal politicians took advantage of this dissatisfaction, and pro- 
moted it so as to increase their own power and intluence. 

The National Government had already become embarrassed by lack of 
money to carry on the war ; and this, too, was used as a weapon of 
attack by the Federalists. A resolution which was adopted liy the State 
Senate to loan to the National Government S.")(»(),()iiO was defeateil by 
the Federalists in the Assembly. During the same year Solomon South- 
wick,* the able editor of the AJhainj /icf/i.sfcr, tiie organ of the Demo- 
cratic Party, showed lukuwai'niness in support of the war, and lost tlie 
confidence of the ])arty leaders. Thej' made the Argi/n, just established 
by Jesse ljue],f their organ. 

The next session of the Legislature (1814) was marked by lii)eral 
appropriations of money to be raised by lottery for the benefit of Union, 

Saratoga. In 1813 he was admitted to the bar in Albany, and the next yetw became 
secretary to the Resents of tlie University. lie was a regent of tlie Universit_y from 1814 
to 1841, and of tlie Smithsonian lustituiion fiom 1810 until his death. ^Mr. llawley wrote 
an<l printed for private distribution Ksmi/s on 2'nith ami Km/itkclr/i: 

* Solomon Southwick was for some years a brilliant journalist in Albany. He was a 
son of Solomon Southwick, a journalist of Newport, R. I., where this son was born in 
1774. He learned the trade of a baker, but became a practical printer in Albany. About 
the year ISOO he was the assistant editor of the; Alhiiiiji Riyixtcr, which finally became 
the accredited organ of tlu^ Democratic Party. Southwick became sole editor in 1807, 
and conducted it with great ability. He was personally iiopular.' with a handsome face 
and pleasing depoilment. He was a firm supporter of T)e Witt Clinton and his friends. 
In 1809 he was appointed SheritT of .Vlbany, and in 181 1 was a bank president there. He 
was printer to the State ; also a regent of the University. He quarrelled with his party 
leaders, when the NiyiKter w;i.s abandoned by them, and in 1818 it dieil. He had been 
superseded as State printer, and ho lost the office of [tostmaster at .Vlbany in 1822. Vari- 
ous speculations of his were unsuccessful. In 1821 he established The Plonghboi/. and 
then the National Democrat. Both were short-lived. He became a candidate for gov- 
ernor of the State in 1823, when he was defeated by an overwhelming vote. He was 
again a candidate for the same office in 1828, reiiresenting the Anti-iMa.sonic Party, and at 
the same time became Ihe editor of the Xational Ohsener, an Anti-Masonic journal. -Mr. 
Southwick died in 18;i!). 

f .Jcs.se Buel was born in Coventry. Conn., in 1778. and died in Danbury, 1830. He 
was educated a printer. He published the I'lMrr liiiinhlimit. and in 1813 went to .Vlbany, 
where he established the Aiyus. which, on the parly defection of Solomon Southwick, be- 
came the organ of the Democratic^ Party. He was soon chosen Stale printer. He left the 
Ai-ff/iit in 1831, having acquired a competency. Bucl was Whig candidate for governor 
in 183(5. Two years before, he established T/ie CuUimtui; a periodical devoted to agricul- 
ture, which for years exerted a wide and salutary influence among farmers. At the 
time of his death >Ir. Buel was a regent of the University. 



44S 



llli; K.Ml'IliK STATE. 







rolmiibia, and Ilaiiiiltoii collej^es ; an African churcli ; tlie New York 
Historical Society, and varicjns medical colleges. At the same session 
James Kent was appointed Chancellor of the State of New York, and 
Smith Thompson Chief-Justice of its Supreme Court. Tliey were botli 
natives of Duche.«s County. 

The Legislature put forth the juost vigorous exertions to ]>lace and 

maintain the State in an attitude of 
secure defence against invasion, 
and to aid the general Ciovernment 
against the enemy. They increased 
the pay of the militia, and jiassed 
an act to encourage i)rivateering by 
aiitliDrizing associations for that 
purpose. This was done in spite 
of a very learned protest from 
CJiancellor Kent" and others. The 
chancellor was answered, and a 
controversy in tlie newspapers oc- 
curred, in Avliich Judge Kent, 
Colonel Samuel Young, and ^lartin 
Van Jiuren particij)ated. A law 
was passed for enlisting twelve 
thousand men for two years ; and 
another was adopted for raising a corps of " sea fencibles," a sort of 
minute-men ; and still another for raising a regiment of colored men, 
among whom slaves might be enlisted by consent of their masters, and 
who were to be manumitted when honorably discharged. 

Intelligence of the proni])t passage of these several laws by the Legis- 
lature of New York at the short session in the fall of 181-t was received 
by President Madison witli great joy and satisfaction, for the event 

* .lames KpiiI, iin I'liiiiicnt jurist, was born jil Pliillipslown, Putniim (then Duchess) 
County, N. Y., in .July, 17G3 ; died in Xcw York City in Deeenilier. 1H47. lie studied 
law witli E,i;l)ert Benson, and began its practice at Poufrhkeei>sie in ITST. From 1790 to 
17!)H lie was a member of the Xew York Assembly. In the latter year he became pro- 
fes.sor of law in Columbia CoUeire : in 1790 he was made Master in Chancery ; Recorder 
of New York City in 1797 ; Judge of the Supreme Court of Xew York in 1798 ; Chief 
Justice in 1804, and wsvs Chancellor of the State from 1814 to 1823. He took an active 
part in the State Constitutional Convention in 1821, and soon afterward again became 
law profes.sor in Columbia College. The lectures he delivered there form the ba.sis of 
his famous Cotnmentnriiit nn the I'uittd Stiitin fniintitiition. ])ublislied in four volumes. 
Judge Kent was one of the clearest legal writers of his time. In 1828 he was chosen 
President of the New York Historical Society. In his later years he revised his Com- 
mentiiries. 



,J.\MKS KKNT. 



VIRGINIA THE '• >[OTirEI{ OF PRESIDENTS." 449 

added much strengtli to the tlien exceedingly weak CTOvenunent. 
Oppressed by painful appreiiensioiis, the President gratefully tendered 
to Goveriioi' Tompkins the important position in his Caiiinet of Secretary 
of War, which General John Armstrong, of ]S^ew York, jiad lately 
resigned. Tlie governor declined. 

The Federalists gained political ascendancy in Xew York in l,sl5, and 
the Council of Appointment, influenced by the many political enemies 
of De Witt Clinton, proceeded to deprive liim of the lucrative office of 
Mayor of New York. This left him in straitened pecuniary circuiu- 
stances with a large family, but he maintained his dignity of deportment 
and his cheerfulness of spirits. He engaged in literary pursuits, and 
increased his efforts to induce the State to construct tiic great Erie Canal. 
He was successful, as we have observed. 

Governor Tompkins was now one of the most popular men in the 
State, and was an aspirant for the office of President of the United 
States. At the close of the war Mr. Madison began to give tokens that 
he expected Mr. Monroe to be his successor. Already the President of 
the republic had been taken from Virginia twenty-four out of twenty- 
eight years of the existence of the National Government. This continu- 
ation of the " Virginia dynasty," as it was called, had become distaste- 
ful, especially to New Yorkers. At the same time the Virginians were 
evidently jealous of New York because of her rapid growth in popula- 
tion, commerce, wealth, and political influence. 

Wlien the congressional caucus assembled to nominate a candidate for 
the jiresidenc}-, it was found that nearly tlie whole delegation from New 
York were for (rovcrnor Tompkins. The majority of otiier Democratic 
members were from the South, and were opjiosed to him ; wliile the 
New Eno-land delegates were all Federalists. Monroe was nominated 
and elected in 1816, and Tompkins was chosen Vice-President. 

Great was the rejoicing in the legislative halls and among the people 
all over the State when tlie news of peace and of the victory at New 
Orleans was spread over the commonwealth. Then the thoughts of all 
were directed to the pursuits of peace, the readjustment of business rela- 
tions, and the development of the resources of the State, especially to 
the importance of a speedy construction of the projected great caiud. 
Tiie friends of that project moved with vigor. A most important meet- 
ing held in New York City in the autumn adopted strong resolutions in 
its favor, and a powerful memorial to the Legislature was drawn up by 
De Witt Clinton, and widely circulated and signed, commending the 
project. 

T'his movement in New York City was followed by a large gathering 



450 THE EMPIUE STATE. 

at Ciinancliiii^iia, Ontario f'oiiiity, of leadiiijr ficntloiieii in TTestem New 
York. At tliat nii'utiiiij .Myron Iloiluv, oiio of tlio canal ('oniniissioneis 
and one of tlie hri<^litest and wisest men in tiie State, was the cliief 
actor." Governor Toni])l<ins, in liis message at tlie o])ening of the 
session of tlie Legislature in ISK!, expatiated upon the vast importance 
of such a work not only to the State of New York, hut to the nation ; 
and at a large meeting of citizens at Albany earnest resoluttons in favor 
of the jiroject were adopted. 

Notwithstanding the treasury of the comnionweaith had been nearly 
exhausted by the efforts to sustain tlie National (Taverninent in its prose- 
cution of the war, and all aid from that Government in carrying out the 
project liad been withheld ; notwithstanding the resources of private 
enterprise had lieen crippled by the financial embarrassments of the 
crisis and the ])revalence of an impression that the scheme was altogether 
visionary, the leaders of sober thought and opinion in the State were 
strong enough to induce the Legishitiire to authorize the prosecution of 
all necessary surveys for the great work ; to a[)propriat(! S20.0()i) for the 
purpose, and to appoint a new Hoard of Canal Commissioners.f 

The most powerful advocates of the measure at that time were Do 
Witt Clinton, Martin Van Buren, and Samuel Young. It was observed 
that most of the leaders of the opposition to the canal project were 
political enemies of Mr. Clinton ; and so strong was this partisan enmity 
that it formed the chief constituent of their motives in <i|)p(ising the 
scheme. 

At the ojjening of the session of 1S17 Governor Tompkins, as we have 

* Tlic niocliii^ in New York City was asscmhkil thrnuirli tho instrumontality of 
Thomas Eddy. Judge Jonas Piatt, Dc Witt Clinton. John Pintard, and a few others, the 
zealous, persistent, and earlier friends of the i)rojeet. They sent cards of invitation to 
about one hundred gentlemen of that city, to meet at the City Hotel, to consult concern- 
ing the Canal. William Bayard [iresided at the meeting, and John Pintard was the secre- 
tary. Judge Piatt mad(^ a convincing address to the meeting. A resolution was pa.s.sed 
approving the scheme, and a committee, composed of I)e Witt Clinton, Thomas Eddy. 
Cadwallader D. Colden. and John Swartwout, was appointed to prepare and <-irculale a 
memorial to the Legislature in favor of the canal. That memorial — a master])iece — was 
drawn by Mr. Clinton. 

The meeting at Canandaigua was held on January Hili. ISIT. Gideon Granger, after- 
ward Poslmasler-CJeneral. was the chief speaker on that occasion ImiKirtaiil resolutions, 
drawn by Myron Holley, were .idopted. These resolutions, it was observed, "both in 
matter and .s'tyle may be .I'uslly denominated a ncdr reUition of Mr. Clinton's memorial." 
The proceedings of this meeting made a deep impres-sion on the public mind, and pow 
erfuUy contributed to the enlightened policy which the Legislature subsequently pursued. 

f Stephen van Kensselaer. I)i' Witt Clinton, Samuel Young, Joseph Ellirott, and 
Myron lloilcv. 



ABOLITION OF TlIK SLAVIO SVSl'KM. 



451 



/■ 






observed, recoimneiidcd tlie unconditional ami entire abolition of the 
slave sj'steni in the State uf New York after -Inly -itli, !S27. The 
rcconiiuendation was concurred in by the nnaiiiinons voice of tlie lA'gis- 
latnrc. Thus were the ])ersistent benevolent etTorts of the Society of 
Friends, or Quakers, to erase from 
the escutcheon of the State of New 

Tork the dark stain of human ^ . - _.. 

slavery given encouragement and 
final success. In Ijringiiig about 
this act of the Legislature in islT 
they wei'e powerfully aided by 
Cadwallader J). C!olden (grandson 
of Governor ( 'olden'), Peter A. 
Jay, William .lay, '•'■ Governor 
Tompkins, and other earnest labor- 
ers in the cause. 

On March 10th, ISIT, the canal 
commissioners presented to the 
Legislature an elaborate I'cport. 
Most strenuous opposition to the 
canal scheme was then manifested 

in and out of the Legislature. It was ridiculed as the conception of 
lunatics ; condemned as a project which, if attempted, would ruin the 
State finaiu'ially ; and its advocates were declared to be enemies of the 
commonwealth. The excitement throughout the State was intense. T>ut 
common-sense and sagacity prevailed in the Legislature, and on April 




Wll.l.IAM .lAY. 



* William Ja_v, IX. D., was an eminent jurist and earnest philanthropist, son of Gov- 
ernor John .lay. lie was l)oni in New York City in 1789, and died at Bedford. West- 
chester County, N. Y.. in October, 1858 He was a graduate of Yale CollciJCe. On ac- 
count of weak eye.s he was compelled to abandon the practice of law, for whieli he was 
prepared. He was one of the founders of the American Bible Society, in 1815, and was 
ever an active member of it. He was one of the earliest advocates of the temperance 
reform, and found(!d a temperance society in 1815. He was active in founding and pro- 
moting the work of tract, missionary, and educational societies. In 1818 he wasappointed 
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Westchester County, and was first judge from 
1820 to 1843. when he was superseded on account of his radical anti-slavery sentiments. 
He was one of the founders an<l most etlicient .supporters of the .\merican .Vnti-Slavery 
Society. In 1843 Judge Jay visited Europe, and with the eminent Egyptologist. Sir 
Gardiner AVilkinson. investigated the subject of .slavery in Egypt. Judge Jay held a 
vigorous pen, and wrote muc'h on the subject of temperance, slavc^-y, and peace. He 
was for several years President of the American Peace Society. His numerous iiubliea- 
tions were widely eireidated, and exercised great and good intluence. Juilge Jay prepared 
a biogra])hy of his father. John Jay and a collection of his writings, in two volumes, 
which was pnlilished in 183:1 



ibi TIIK KMIMIU-; STATIC. 

ITth it p;isso(l iiii ;ict iuitliin'i/.iiii^ tliu coiistnictioii of tlie greut work of 
iiitcriiiil iiiiproveiiioiit. Tliu work u])oii it was bejrini less tliaii tliree 
months afterward. 

With kaleidoscope rapidity and variety were the changes in the posi- 
tion of the leaders of political parties and factions in Xew York at that 
time. They were then in a sort of transition state. Each faction was 
controlled by a few men. Personal politics was the rule. It was at this 
time that a small clique of shrewd politicians known as the " Albany 
Regency'' came into power and ruled the State, in a degree, for almost 
twenty years. The leader of the " Regency" was ^[artin Van Buren. 
and his chief associates were Benjamin F. Ihitlcr. Eilwin C'roswell, ami 
William L. ^larcy. 

We have seen De Witt Clinton, in 1S1.5, "shelved"' by the Council 
of Appointment, which was composed chiefly of men of his own party, 
and he was i-elegated to the class of political fossils. Judge S|)encer,* 
between whom and (Clinton there had long been maintained bitter polit- 
ical and jiersoual am'niosity, and who had been a power in the politics 
of the State and puissant in the annual creation of the Council of 
Appointment, had been the chief instrument in destroying the confidence 
of the Democratic Party in Mr. Clinton. Now Spencer was menaced 
with a similar fate, and sought to avert it. The popularity of Tom])kins 
and the talents and fascination of Van Buren made them exceedingly 
influential among the members of the Legislature, with whom the3' were 
in constant intercourse. They were now the political antagonists of 
Clinton, and disposed to give the cold shoulder to Spencer. The latter 
well knew that there was no man who could neutralize the influence of 
these rivals more elfectnally than ^[r. Clinton, and Spencer sought and 
obtained a reconciliation with his old friend and kinsman, !^[rs. Sjiencer 
was a sister of Clinton. 

In February, 1817, Governor Tompkins resigned his seat to occupy 

* Ainhrose Spc^nccr, LL.D. , was the son of :i farmer ami meelianic, and wa-s born in 
Salisbury, Conn., In 1765. lleiiiedal Lyons, N. Y.. in Mareli, Is-lt*. He \va.s icnulualed 
at llarviird. and studied law with .lohn C'antield, of Sharon, Conn., whose daujrhler he 
married before he was nineteen years of aire. After her death he married a sister of De 
AVIII Clinton. They settled in Hudson. X. Y. In 1793 he was eleeled to the .\ssenibly. 
and was Slate .-senator from KO.") to 1802. He was the author of a bill whieh abolished 
the penalty of death cxeeptinc; for the crimes of treason and murder ; also for the erection 
of a Stale prison near New York, and for the amelioration of the condition of prisoners. 
In 1802 he was appointed attorney general, and in 1804 was made Cliief-.Iustice of the 
Slate Supreme Court. .ludfje .Spciucr was always an aetive politician. He was a mem- 
ber of the Slate Constitutional Convention in 1821 ; was Mayor of .VIbany. and fnmi 
1829 to 18:il a meinbcr of Coni5re.s.s. In 1839 he removed to the villajre of Lyons, where 
he died. 



THK FIRST BOAT OX THE ERIK CANAL. 453 

tliat of Vice-President of tlie United States. Tlicre appeared a strong 
(iis[)Osition in the Le,o;islature to nominate Mr. Clinton for govei-nor. 
Mr. Van Duren and liis friends opposed it. Spencer worlced valiantly 
for it. Clinton was nominated, and in April was elected by an almost 
nnanimons vote. The Federalists did not make any nomination, and 
they generally voted for Clinton. 

How " the whirligig of time brings ahont its revenges"! Only two 
years before, Mr. Clinton had been expelled by liis party from the office 
of Mayor of New York, denonnced by the leading Democrats in In's 
native State and the nation as ntterly unworthy of their confidence, and 
consigned to political perdition ; now we see him elevated to the highest 
official position in his State by a majority of the Democratic Party and 
of the opposing party as their best man I 

A formidable political faction opposed to Governor Clinton soon 
appeared, and gave origin to two distinctly marked parties known as 
" Ihicktails," or Democrats, and '' CMintonians."' * 

Little of special importance outside of the political arena occurred in 
the State of Xew York during the remainder of Governor Clinton's 
administration. The construction of the great water highway across the 
St;ite was pushed on with vigor, and on October 22d, 1819, the firet boat 
on the Erie Canal floated between Rome and Utica, with the governor 
and other distinguished citizens on board. 

In the spring of 1S2U a hot contest for tiie governor.ship of the State 
occurred. The I'ucktails nominated Vice-President Tompkins for that 
position, aiul the Clintonians renominated Mr. Clinton. The canvass 
was very spirited, and resulted in the re-election of Mr. Clinton by about 
fourteen hundred majority. 

Just before the election a most singular movement took place among 
the ])oliticians of the State, designed to " put down Mr. Clinton at all 
hazards." On April 14th fifty professed Federalists, representing the 
intelligence and wealth of the State (among them sons of the late General 
Hamilton and also of Rufus King), issued an address to the people, in 
which they affirmed that the Federal Party no longer existed, and 
avowed their intention to snp])ort Mr. Tompkins for governor and to 
attach themselves to the great Democratic Party of the nation— the 



* There was an order in tlic Tammany Society who, on certain occasions, wore a iior- 
tiiin of the lail of a deer in tlieir liats. Tlie Tammanyites were all opixjsed lo Clinton, 
and had a conlrollinj;- inlluenee in llie Denmcralie Party in the State. The friends of 
Clinton jjave to Iheni the name of ■ Bucktails," as the order that wore that insignia was 
a leadin,!! one in the society. Hence the party oiiposed lo Mr. Clinton was called, for a 
Ion;;- time, the Biuktail Party. 



454 TllK KMriKi; STATE. 

T5iicUtails in New York. Tliuy <lid not ohject to Mr. Clinton's capacity, 
liis morals, or his public lucusurus, l)iit opposed him solely hocanse, they 
alleged, he wiis attempting to form a " jiersonal party." At the same 
time Mr. Van Buren and his friends Mere as strenuously opposing Mr. 
CMiuton, solely on the ])rofessed ground that the Federal Party (//(/ ccIkI 
in the State, and that he was secretly inclint'd to favor it. They, too, 
admitted the tidonts and virtues of Mr. Clinton, and did not object to 
his public measures, but they suspected him of political cfxpuitry ! The 
common-sense of the better ])cople of the State perceived the absurdity 
of the actions of the intriguing politicians, and gave ]\Ir. Clinton a 
trium])hant majority vote, (iovernor Clinton's success at this time was 
largely due to his i)opularity as the leading champion of the canal 
interest. 

At a session of the Legislatuie held in Movember (^l82(ij Governoi" 
Clinton recommended the passage of a law for the choice of presidential 
electors directly by the people ; also another for the calling of a conven- 
tion for the consideration of amendments to the State Constitution. ,V 
bill for the latter purpose was passed by both houses in January follow- 
ing, but was rejected by the Council of Revision * by the casting vote 
of the governor, who did not approve of some of its provisions. 

Early in the session of 182 1 another bill providing for a convention 
was ])ass(!d, and became a law. The Legislature and the Cuuiicil of 
Apj)ointment M^ere politically o]>[)osed to the govci'iioi', and the latter 
body soon set the woi'k of otHcial decapitation in morion. One of the 
victims was Gideon Ilawley, the wise and able Superintendent of Com- 
mon Schools, whose removal Avas without excuse. They proceeded to 
fill his place by appointing to the position a vonng lawyer who was 
utterly incompetent to perform the duties. The removal of Ilawley was 
regartled as so gross an outrage against the best interests of society that 
the political friends of the Council in the Legislature M'ould not submit 
to it. 13y an almost unanimous vote the Legislature abolished the office 

* The Council of Revision, ns wc have observed on page 259, like the Council of Ap- 
|i(>iiitiiieiit, was a |)art of tlie uiiidiincry of the E.xeculive Department of the Stale Gov- 
eninieut. It possessed and exerc-ised th(' veto power. All bills jiassed bv the Legislature 
were subniilled to its iiispeelion and revision before becoming laws. But if, after bills 
had been rejected and returned to the Legislature with objections stated, by the Council 
of Revision, they should again be pas.sed, by a vote of two thirds, they beenine laws. 
This council, after an existence of about forty years, was abolished by the ('onventi<n 
of 18".il, and its power lodged in the hands of the governor by the Constitvitiou frame<l 
that year. During its existence the Council returned one Innidred and sixty-nine bills, 
with their objections, to the Legislature. Fifty-one of the bills so returned were pas.sed 
inid l.iws by the Legislature by a two-thirds vote. 



i 



COXVEXTIOX TO UEVISK TIIK STATIC COXSTITlTKiX. 455 

of Snpeiiiiteiulent of Coininoii iScliools, ami assii:;iHMl tliu duties of that 
official to the Secretary of State. 

So eager M-ere the people for a revision of the State Constitution tliat 
at the April election (1821), when the suliject was suimiitted to them, 
tliere was a majority of nearly seventy-five thousand votes in favor of a 
convention. On the third Tuesday in June elections of deloo-ates to a 
constitutional convention were held tliroughout the State. Some of the 
nuxst distinguished men in the commonwealth were chosen delegates, 
some of them having heeii selected on account of their superior al)ility 
rather than for any partisan consideration ; yet a larger jjortion of the 
representatives were Democrats. 

The convention assembled at the Capitol '" iu the city of Albany on 
August 2>itli, when one hundred and ten delegates were present. They 
presented an array of talent, experience, and weight of personal character 
unsurpassed by any similar body of men ever before assembled in the 
republic. f They chose Vice-President Tompkins to preside over their 
deliberations, and John F. Bacon and Samuel L. (lardiner to record the 
proceedings. William L. Stone, editor of the JVew York Commercial 
Advertiser ; N". II. Carter, of t\vQ Statesman ; and M. I. Cantine were 
the official reporters. 

The convention renuiincd in session nearly two months and a half, and 
made many important changes iu the fundamental law of the State. 
The debates, especially those concerning the right of suft'nigo, were 
inarked by signal ability, and were exceedingly interesting. The labors 



* The State Capitol at llial lime sluod on tlie site of the new one not yet (1887) eoni- 
jileted, at the head of State Street; cue hundred and thirt}- feet above tide-water. Its 
eorner-stoue was hiitl iu 1806. It was a substantial stone building, veneered with brown 
sandstone from quarries below the Hudson Highlands, The columns, jjihisters, and 
decorations of tlie doors and windows were of white or grav marble fi-om Berkshire, 
Mas.s. As it was in part designed for city offices, it was erected in part at the expense of 
the city of Albany. The whole expense was a trifle over .$120,000, oi wliicli amount the 
eity paid $34,000. It was begun iu 1803 and finished iu 180T. 

f Tlic following gentlemen were among the most distinguislied delegates elected by 
the Democrats : Nathan Sandford, .Jacob Radcliff. William Paulding, llemy Wheaton, 
Ogden Edwards, .John Oliver. Samuel Nelson (afterward cliief-justiee of tlie State), Martin 
Van Buren, Daniel D. Tompkins, Samuel Young, .lacob Sutherland, Erastus Root, Kufus 
King (the latter liad been a very prominent leader among the Feder.alists), General James 
Talhnadge, and Peter R. Jjivingston. Those most distingui.sbed wlio were elected by the 
other party were Stephen van Rensselaer. Chancellor Kent, Ambrose Spencer Abraham 
van Vechten, AVilliam W. Van Ness, Elisha Williams. .J. Rutsen van Rensselaer, Peter 
A. Jay, Judge Jonas Piatt, and Ezekiel Baum. The labor of reporting and jirepsn-ing for 
the press the proceedings of tlie convention was performed almost wliolly l)y Colonel 
AV, L. Stone. It was done with remarkable accm-aev. 



4r)() Till-; KMI'IKK STATE. 

of tlu! foiivciitioii worn uihIl'.I oh XovtMiihcr Int,]) ("1^21), wlicri it :ul- 
joui'iied nine die.'- 

Allotted space will allow only brii't' allusion to the most important 
labors of tlie convention and the chief new features j,dven to the instru- 
ment then adoi)ted. The suljjects of (1) the Legislative Department ; 
(2) the Executive Department ; (3) tlie Judiciary Department ; (4) tlie 
Council of Revision ; (,")) tiie Council of Apjiointment ; (fi) the Riijiit 
of Suffrage ; (7) tlie Rights and Privileges of Citizens ; (8) Miscellaneous 
Matters ; (9) the Legislative Year and Terms of Elective Officers ; 
(10) the Mode of ^^aking Future Amendments, were referred to standing 
committees. 

The Legislative I)c[)artment was declared to consist of a Senate com- 
posed of thirty-two mend)ers, distributed etpially over eight Senate dis- 
tricts, elected for four years, one fourth of this number going out each 
year and presided over by the lieutenant-governor, with a casting vote ; 
and an .\sscmlily consisting of one hundred and twenty-eight members, 
appiirtioned among the several counties according to population, anil 
annually elected. 

The E.xecutive Department to consist of a governor and iieutenant- 
goveruor to be elected biennially, and the several State orticers, with the 
ex(!eption of the adjutant-general, chosen by joint ballot of the Senate 
and Assembly once in every three years. Sheriffs, county clerks, aiui 
coroners to be elected by the people of the several coniitics for a term of 
three years. 

The judiciary system was remodelled by the substitution of circuit 
courts in (jight judicial districts into which the State was divided, in 
jilace of tlSe previous system of trials of important issues before one of 
the judges of the Supreme Court ; the redntrtion of the Supreme Court 
to a chief-justice and two assist, nit justice's, with tin' right of appeal to 
the Senate, chancellor, and judges of the Supreme Court, sitting as a 
court for the correction of errors, the several judges to hold otHce until 
the age of sixty years, unless previously removed for cause ; and the 
appointment of a chancellor, for the determination of all cases of equity 
jui-isdiction, subject to the same riglit of appeal. Judges of the county 
courts of Common I'leas and justices of the peace to be appointed I)y 
the iTOvernor and Senate. 



* It wa."! (luring this ycnr that ^fartin Van Burcn was chosen to represent the State of 
New York in tlu- Senate of llic I'nited States, a tieUl eominensurale witli his anibitiotis 
aspirations and his eminent inlellecliial ability. Me now entered the .irena of nalion.d 
polities, and rose to the hiirhest station in the republic. 



IMPORTANT FEATl-RES OF THE XEW ('OXSTITFTTOX. 457 

Tlic Councils of Revision and Appointment * were abolislied. The 
functions of tlie latter were devolved upon the sjovernor and the Senate, 
and of the former upon the governor, who was vested with the veto 
power. 

The right of suffrage was extended to every male citizen of the aire of 
twenty-one years and upward, Vvith no other restrictions than tliat of 
residence and exemption from criminal conviction, and the requisition 
of a freeliold (|ualifieation of S2.">(), in the case of colored voters. 

A section retpiiring the call of future conventions for the amendment 
of the Constitution on the exjiiration of (^acli period of twenty years 
thereafter was ado2:)ted. Also another, authorizing the Lcgisluture, in 
the mean time, hy a two-thirds vote, to submit any amendment deemed 
retpiisite to a popular vote for its ratification. At a special election lield 
in Fel)ruary, 1822, the new Constitution wns ratified and adopted hy a 
majority of thirty-four thousand votes. 

* The Council of Appointmt'iit was one of tlie most gigantic political maeliines siibjc'ct 
to partisan purposes ever put in motion. That it did not work more political mischief 
than it did must Iw credited to the prevalence of great public virtue. At the time of its 
abolition the Council had at its disposal six thousand six hundred and sixty-three civil 
offices and eight thousand two hundred and eighty-seven military offices. The patronag(? 
dispensed by the civil officers was enormous in amount. The Council could appoint and 
dismiss at pleasure, and as its political complexion was subject to frequent and sudden 
changes, the temn-e of office was as weak as a rope of .sand. Such a condition was most 
demoralizing to the civil service. 



4:>8 Tin; k.mimuk statk. 



CIlAl'TKU XXXIII. 

Tin: pi)inil:iriuii of the Stato of Xew York at tlie time of tlic adoption 
of tlio new Constitution was aljout one million four linndred tliousanil, 
of wlioni forty tliousaiid were colored, ineliidini:: i> little more than ten 
thousand slaves. Albany, the political capital of the State, contained 
between twelve and thirteen thousand iidiahitants, and Xew York City. 
its commercial metropolis, had a population of one hundred and twenty- 
five thousand. Its agricultural products ; its mineral resources ; its 
manufactures, commerce, and trade ; its accumulated wealth and its 
political influence in the nation gave New York even then a fair claim 
to the title of The Emprre State. 

The Algerine corsairs in the ^[editerranean Sea had been suppressed 
and the piratical Ilarbary Powers had been humbled by a squadron of 
the United States Navy, commanded by Commodore Decatur.* Ameri- 
can commerce, thus untrammelled, was making its way even to the 
Levant and the Golden Horn, and her white-winged ships flecked the seas 
of far-otf India. New York had begun to send its argosies everywhere, 
and held a jM-oud position among its sister commonwealths. Sagacious 
men saw clearly that it was at the entrance upon a far more wonderful 
career of commercial activity and geuei'al prosperity than ever before, 
for the Eric Canal, with all its possibilities foreshadowed, was well 
advanced toward completion. 

I hit little of imi)ortance was done by the Legislature which convened 
early in .lanuary, 1S22, excepting to provide for setting in motion the 
machinery of civil government under the amended Constitution. Gov- 
ei-)ior Clinton congratulated the Legislature upon the great progress 
made in the construction of the canals — the Erie and the Champlain — 
and recommended various modiflcations of the civil and criminal laws. 



* Commodore Stephen Decatur was sent to the Mediterranean with a squadron to 
hiiml)lc the Harliary Powers and to lm'al< iiji the nests of pirates that infested tliose 
walcrs, lie caplnred two pirate vessels and then sailed for .Vlsiers. ^vlieri \h- dcmiinded 
the instant surrender of all Anicriean |irisoners, full indemnity for all properly destroyed 
l)y Knsrlish vessels which were alloweil lo enter his harbor, and absolute nlinqnisliment of 
all claim to tribute from the United States. The Dey of Aliriers yielded. Decatur then 
visited Tunis and Tripoli with a similar result. lie received from the two latter ]X)wers 
$71, (MM). This cruise gave full security lo Amcrlean commerce in the Jlediterranean Sea. 



•■THE VAiX OF GOOD KEELING." 



459 



Tlio new Constitution liaving provided that no lottery should there- 
after be authorized in the State, and the sale of tickets prohibited except- 
ing m lotteries already established, two pei-sons (Messrs. Yates and 
Mclntyre) were appointed managers of the State Lottery for the ])ro- 
visiou of funds for colleges, etc. At the termination of this lottery soon 
afterward this vicious system of supporting institutions of learning in 
the State was abandoned forever. 

The new Constitution changed the time for holding the general State 
elections from April to November. Mr. Clinton was not reiionjiuated 
for governor. Indeed, in the 
gradual disintegration of parties 
then in progress, the Clintonian 
party had nearly disappeared. 
So, also, had the Federal Party 
in the State. There was tiuu- 
sual (piict in the political arena 
throughout the republic. Thi.s 
state of things gave to the second 
term of Mr. Monroe's adminis- 
tration the title of " The Era 
of Good Feeling."' Joseph C 
Yates, * of Schenectady, was 
elected Governor of New York 
with 110 other opposition than a 
few scattering votes in differ- 
ent parts of the State given fur 
Solomon Southwick, a self-nom- 
inated candidate for governor, 
overwhelmingly Democratic. 

At the first meeting of the Legislature under the amended Constitution 
(January, ISio) measures were taken for adjusting the government 
machinery in accordance with its requirements. John Savage was made 
Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court, and Jacob Sutherland and John 
Arot)d\vt)rth were created associate justices. Nathan Sandford was ap- 
pointed Chancellor ; J. Van Ness Yates, Secretary of State ; W. L. 




JOSKI'II C. YATES. 



Botli Itranches of the Le<::islature wore 



* Judge Yates i^as born in Schenectady, N. Y., in November, 1768, and died tliere in 
:March. 1837. He was a son of Colonel. Christopher Yate.s of the Hevolulion ; gainwl 
eminence a.s a lawyer, and from 1803 till 1823 was a judge of the State Supreme Court. 
Hewa.soneof the foundei-s of Union College, in 1795; was flavor of Schenectady in 
1798. and State senator in 1806-1807. He was governor of the Static in 18-33-24. and after- 
ward remained in private life. 



■400 ini: k:mpii{e state. 

ilarcy, Comptroller ; S. A. Tulcott, Attoiiiey-Geiieral, and Simeon l)c 
"Witt, Surveyor-General, an office he had then held about fifty years. To 
the classical taste of Mr. De Witt the interior of the State of ?^e\v York 
is inilehted for its burden of ancient names given to townships and 
vi Unices. One might easily suppose that region iiad been settled by Greek 
and Roman colonics.* 

The puissant Democratic Party in the State was split asunder at the 
fall elections in 1S2:] largely by the question of submitting the choice of 
presidential electors to the people. A new organization sprang u]) 
known as " The People's Party," and carried several of the largest 
Democratic counties of the State. Its strength was increased by the 
unwise action of the Legislature early in lsi>! in refusing to give the 
people the power to choose presidential electors, and by an extraordinary 
exhibition of personal enmity toward Mr. Clinton. The Senate passed 
a resolution for the removal of Mr. Clinton from the office of canal com- 
missioner. The Assembly inniiediately concurred by a large majority. f 

This unwarrantable and purely partisan conduct produced intense 
indignation throughout the State. Large public meetings were held in 
many places, at which the conduct of the Legislature was denounced and 
the high character and valuable public services of Mr. Clinton were 
recounted and a[)proved. A State Convention held at Ftica nominated 
him for governor, and at the November election he was chosen for that 
office over Samuel Yoniig by a majority of nearly seventeen thousand 
votes. General James Tallmadge, of Duchess, was elected licutenant- 
govenujr over General Root by thirty-four thousand four humlred and 
nine majority, having received the comI)ined votes of the Democratic and 
the People's parties. 



* Simeon De Witt w:is Ihh-ii in Ulster County, N. Y., in December, 1756 ; died in 
Alb.my in is:i4. lie was a graduate of Queens (Rutgers) College, N. J.; entered the Con- 
tinental Army, where he held the position of " geographer," and was with Gates at the 
surrender of Burgoyne. He was also at the surrender of Cornwallis. lie was Surveyor- 
General of the State of New York from 1784 until his death. In 179G he declined the 
offlee Of Surveyor-General of the United Slates. In 1798 he was appointed a regent of the 
University ; 1817, Vice-Chancellor. and in 1829. Chancellor of the State. He made a map 
of the Stale of Xew York in 1S04. Mr. De Witt was a member of many literary and 
seientitic societies. 

+ This movement was probably preeonocrted. Only a short time before the hour 
fixed for the adjournment of the Legislature — " perhaps I may say minutes," wrote >Ir. 
Ilanunond — Mr. Bowman, a .senator from Monroe County, submitted a resolution for the 
removal of Mr. Clinton from the olTice of canal commissioner. It was acted \iy>on im- 
mediately, all but three senators voting in the affirmative. The resolution was forthwith 
sent to the Assembly, where it was immediately passed by a vote of sixty-four against 
thirty-four. This action caused the political death of Mr. Bowman. 



LAFAYETTE THE XATIOXS CrEST. 



461 



At the middle of August, ISS-t, Lafayette arrived in the United States 
as the guest of the nation, after an absence of forty yeare. lie landed 
at Staten Island, and remained there, the guest of Vice-President 
Tompkins, until the next day, when he was escorted to the city of ^ew 
York !)}• a large fleet of vessels of every kind. There he was received 
with great honors — booming of cannons, pealing of bells, and shouts of a 
multitude — and was welcomed by the municipal aiitboritics. He was 
conducted to the City Hall, and was the guest of the cor]ioration for 
several days. He visited tiie principal institutions, and held crowded 
receptions of the citizens. He made an extensive tour through the 



K !■'// 










CASTLE G.\RDEX IX 1852. 



United States. It was a continued ovation. In Septendier the follow- 
ing year, after a brilliant reception at Castle Garden by the citizens of 
New York, he departed for his home in France. He was conveyed to 
liis country in the frigate B rand ij wine, so named in compliment to him. 
He was wounded at the battle on Brandywine Creek. 

While Lafayette was in the United States a presidential election 
occurred, and resulted in the choice of John Quincy Adams, son of 
ex-President John Adams, as Chief Magistrate of the republic. There 
were five candidates in the field— namely, John Quincy Adams, Henry 
Clay, William H. Crawford, Andrew Jackson, and John C. Calhoun. 
The Electoral College failed to make a choice, and that duty devolved 



4i;-i 'niK KMi'iiii; s-i-atk. 

upon tlie IIoiiso of Ile])roseutiitives for the sec-oiid tiiiio in tliu liistoi-y of 
the (lovernnient. One of the earliest acts of President Aihinis after liis 
inauguration on March 4tii, 1825, was to offer Governor Clinton the 
])osition of ^finister of the United States to Great IJrirain. It was 
ri'spectfidly declined, when it was conferrei] u])on Rufiis Kinji;, of Xew 
York. 

In his message to the Legislature at the lioginning of 1S2">, (rovernor 
Clinton reconinicndud the j)assage of a law giving the choice of presi- 
dential electors to the people : the creation of a lioard of Internal 
7iii])i'ovenienl's for the completion and extensirm of the canal s\'stem of 
the State, and the construction of a great highway througii the southern 
tier of couiilics, then rather sparsely settled. The Legislature passed an 
act for the appointment of these coiuinissions to explore and cause to he 
surveyed a route for such road. It was never built 1)V the State, hut 
canals were rapidly multiplied soon afterward.* 

The year 1825 was a memorable om^ in the history of the State of Xew 
York. It was the beginning of a new era in its woiuierful career of 
prosperity. The great Erie Canal, which traversed the State from west 
to east — the most gigantic; work of tlu^ kind in the world — was completed 
in the autumn of that year — an artificial navigable river more than three 
humlrcd and sixty miles in length. (Toveriiur Clinton, its mightiest 
champion, had made a tour the ])revious summer, lirst to Philadelphia, 
and tliLii to Ohio and Kentucky, for the purpose of inspe(!ting public 
improvements in jjrogrcss in those States, lie was everywiiere I'eccived 
with earnest demonstrations of respect, for his fame was now national — 
nay, even international. 

The half decade of years previous to IS.'jK presented in the State and 
city of New York a nu)st exciting drama to the e^'e of the social observer. 
It was the great transition period from the stagnation of business atul 
enterprise caused by the late war to the awakening to new and prosperous 
life throughout the whole country. Nowhere in our broad land w;is that 
awakeidng more pronounced and the results more marvellous than in the 
St;ite of New York and its great seaport. The grandest and most 
puissant of the forces which jiroduced this awakeinng in New York and 

* The f'li;iiiii)laiii Canal was completed in the stininier of 1822. .V jreiitleiiian eiv^aged 
ill tli(^ lumlxr trade in Xoillieiii Xew York wrote lo his brother from Fort Ivlward on 
Anijust 2S)tli, 1822 : " This niornins. at cii^ht o'tloek, I had the satisfaction of seeinir the 
water pour over the bi.u: dam [a feeder for the canal]. It tilled in about sixty-two hours 
after the planks were laid down, which was much fpiickcr than was anticipated, in con- 
se(|uence of the river bcinfc so very low. The canal will be in full operation by Satur- 
day." This caual connects Lake Champlain with the Hudson River at Fort Edward. 



PROCESSION' OF liOATS 0\ TIIK KKIH CANAL. 



463 



the region west of it was the putting into operation tlie great Erie Canal. 
It luul occupied in its construction the time of ciglit veais and four 
months from its coniniencenient at Rome on July -tth, ISIT, until tlie 
celebration of its completion on November -ttli, lS:i5. That celeijration 
presented one of the most remarkable pageants ever before seen in the 
State or Tiation. 

The first flotilla of canal-boats left Buffalo, on Lake Erie, for the city 
of Xew York on the nionn'ng of 
October 2(>tli. On that morning 
the waters of Lake Erie first flowed 
into the " Great Ditch," as doubt- 
ers and opposers of the canal con- 
temptuously called it. Tidings of 
this event were sent from Tinffalo 
to Xew York, in the space of one 
hour and twenty minutes, on the 
Mungs of sound produced by dis- 
charges of cannons placed at inter- 
vals along the line of the caiud and 
the Hudson River. 

The flotilla, beautifully decora- 
ted, was led l)v the barge Seneca 
Chief, drawn l)y four powerful gray 
horses. It l)ore as passengers Gov- 
ernor Clinton, Lieutenant-Governor 

Tallmadge, General Stephen van Rensselaer (the ^^a?!;wo«). General 
Solomon van Rensselaer, Colonel W. L. Stone,* a delegation from New 
York City, and gentlemen and ladies who were invited guests. One 
large boat called Ji'o(ih''s Ar/c contained a bear, two fawns, two live 
eagles, and a variety of birds and " four-footed beasts,"' with two 
Seneca Indian youths in the costume of their dusky nation. 

* William Leet Stone was born .at Esopus, N. Y., in April, 1793; died at Saratoga 
Springs in August, 1844. He made his residence at Cooperstowu in 1809, and there 
learned the art of prinlin;;. In 1813 he became editorof the Herkhinr American. After- 
ward he was an editor ut Hudson, and at All)any, N. Y. , and at H:n-tford, Conn. From 
1821 until his deatli he was tlie able editor of the Ne.io York ConiuwrriiU Adrertincr. For 
some years lie was Superintendent of Common Schools in the eity of New York, and 
did etficient service in the cause of education. Colonel Stone held a ready pen, and wrote 
and published several volumes of much value. The most conspicuous of these are The 
Life of Joseph. Brant, The lAfe of lied Jacket, and Border Warn of the Amerimn. Revo- 
lution. .\t the time of his death he had completed the collection and arransrement of 
materials for a life of Sir William .Tolinson, whicli was tiuished and jiublished by his son, 
AVilliam L. Stone, himself an aceom[)lished writer. 




Wn,I,I.\.M I,. STONK. 



4G4 TIIK EMPIHE STATE. 

Crowds irathered at villnjies ami liaiiileU aloiii; tlie roiitu at all hours 
of the day and iiiglit to see and greet the novel procession. At liocliester, 
where tlie canal crosses tlie Genesee River, a man was stationed as a 
sentinel in a l)oat on the Genesee, and when the Seneca tVaVy entered 
the acjueduct he called out : 

" Who comes there V 

" Your brothers from the West, on tlie waters of the (xrear I^akes, " 
answered a voice from the Vh'x'f. 

" By what means have they been diverted so far frcjui their natural 
course ?" the sentinel incjuireil. 

" Through the channel of the grand Erie Canal," responded the same 
voice. 

'' Rv whose authority and l)y whom was a work of such magnitude 
accomplished C' asked the sentinel. 

" By the authority and by the enterprise of the people of Xew York/" 
cried many voices as one from the deck of the Chief. 

A canal-boat called Thr Yovtuj Lion of tlie lIVs/-, having on board 
several distinguished gentlemen, two living wolves, a fawn, a fox, four 
raccoons, and two eagles, here joined the flotilla, which was ever3'where 
greeted with demonstrations of joy as it glided down the beautiful 
Mohawk Yallev. At Albany, the eastern terminus of the canal, where 
it is connected with the Champlain Canal, the voyagers were receivetl 
by a gi'and civic and military procession, who escorted the governor and 
his travelling comj)anions to the ('aj>itol, where interesting services were 
held while bells rang and cannons thundered. People had gathered at 
the State capital from all ])arts of Northern Xew York, Vermont, and 
even Canada to witness tiie imposing spectacle. Philip Ilone,* the 
Mayor of New York, made a congratulatory speech, and in the name of 
his constituents invited the Corporation of Albany to accompany the 
voyagers down the river and ])artake of the hospitality of the commercial 
metropolis. There was a grand illumination in Albany that evening. 

* Philip Ilono was a prosperous and public-spirited merchant of New York City, 
where he was born in 1781 and died in 18.")1. He was a ver.y pojiular man of business, 
and in social life a fluent public speaker, and active in all important movements in the city 
of his birth. Mr. Hone was tlie ehief founder of the Mcreantile Library Association 
of New York. In 1835-2« he was JIayor of New York. lie was the life of the Hone 
Club, composed of the literary and other celebrities of the city. President Taylor ap- 
pointed him naval officer at New York, which post he held at the time of his death. 
Dr. .1. W. Francis wrote of Mr. Hone as a p\iblic-spiriled citizen : " From tlie laying of 
a Russ pavement to the elaboration of a church portico, frOm the wideninjr of a street or 
aveiuie to the nuisnifieent enterprise which resulted in the Croton Aqueduct, he was the 
efficient coadjutor of his fellow-citizens." 



GItAXI) AQUATTC DISPLAY AT NEW YOUK. 



465 



f^^n 



A flotilla of canal-boats was towed from Albany to New York by 
Iludson River steamboats. The CkunceUor Livingston was the flag- 
ship of the squadron, having in tow the Seneca Chief\ whose passeiigei-s 
were novv transferred to her escort, and were joined by many others. 

The aqinitic procession moved at an early hour in the morning. It 
was greeted by groups or crowds of men, women, and children, the flring 
of great guns, and the waving of flags all along the banks of the Iludson. 
The flotilla was fully twenty -four hours descending the noble stream ; and 
when it anchored oif Greenwich Village, a suburb of the great city, 
before the dawn of November ith, the people of the metropolis were 
astir, for ample preparations had been made for cehibrating the event. 

The day was welcomed by the ringing of bells and the roar of cannons. 
At a signal given from the Chan- 
cellor Livingston flags were un- 
furled all over the city, and 
the new steamboat Washington, 
handsomely decorated and bear- 
ing the banner of the corpora- 
tion, proceeded to the fleet, 
conveying a committee of the 
municipal authorities and the 
ofticers of the governor's guard. 
When within hailing distance of 
the Seneca Chief, one of the 
officers of the Washi/igton in- 
quired of the strange craft, 
" Where are you from and what 
is your destination ('' 

The response was, " From 
Lake Erie and bound for Sandy Hook. '" At an early hour the waters 
at the mouth of the Hudson and the harbor of New York were dotted 
with floating craft of every kind. The fleet from Albany took a 
position between the Battery and Governor's Island, where it was 
joined by several steamboats conveying naval, military, and civil ofiicei's 
and invited guests. After receiving salutes from the Battery, Castle 
"Williams on Governor's Island, and two British ships-of- war lying 
in the harbor, a grand procession was formed, composed of twenty- 
nine steamboats and sailing ships, schooners, barks, canal-boats, and 
sail-boats in large numbers, led by the Chancellor Livingston, and 
moved toward the sea. After passing the Narrows and receiving 
salutes from the forts there, the United States schooner Dolphin, 




PHII.n> HOKE. 



466 THE EMiniU-: STATK. 

apprnac'lied, !is a " inesseiiijor from N('])tniio/" to iiK]nin> wlio tlic visitors 
were Mini wluit was tlie ohjuct of tiieir foiiiing. Tiiis (jiiery answered, 
the motley fleet formed a circle around tiie Dolphin about three miles 
in circumference, prciparatorv to tlie jicrformance of tlie fjrand nii))- 
tial ceremonies of wedding the gentle lakes and the sturdy Atlantic 
Ocean. 

The A' w^vvf Chiif\\^A brought from Buffalo two handsomely painted 
kegs filled with water from Lake Erie. One of these kegs was received 
by Governor Clinton on the deck of the Chancellor Livirxjsion. Then 
there was silence and eager watching among the vast multitude floating 
on the unruffled bosom of the Atlantic under a serene and cloudless sky. 
Then Governor Clinton, lifting the keg of Erie water in full view of the 
spectators, stepped to the side of the Chancellor Liviiujston and jjoured 
its contents into the sea, saying : 

" Tiiis solemnity, at this place, on tlie first arrival of vessels from 
Lake Erie, is intended to indicate and commemorate the navigable com- 
munication which has l)een accomplished between our Mediterranean 
seas and the Atlantic Ocean, in about eight years, to the extent of 
more than four Inuidred and twenty-five miles, by the wisdom, public 
spirit, and energy of the people of the State of New York ; and may 
the God of the heavens and of tlie earth smile most propitiously on 
this work, and render it subservient to the best interests of tlie human 
race." 

After a long address by Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell,* personal congratu- 
lations between men of the seaboard and "Western New York, and the 
firing of a salute, the fleet, enlivened by the music of several bands, 
moved back to the city in a grand triumphal procession, the passengei-s 
on the steamlioats partaking of a collation on the way. 

Meanwhile a vast civic procession such as had never before been seen 



* Samuel Latham Mitchell, M.D., was an eminent scientist, Iwrn at Hiiii|i>i<;t>l, 1.. 1.. 
in August, 1764. and died in New York City in September, 18S1. Me .studied both law and 
medicine. He was a member of the Xew York Legislature in 1790 ; made Professor of 
Cheinislrv, Natural History, and Philosophy in Columbia College in 17!(',i. and in 17i)(5 
puVilished a report of his tour along the Hudson Kiver which gave liini fame at liome and 
abroad. He was one of the founders of a Society for the Promotion of .Vgrienlturc, 
Maiuifaelures. and the Useful .Vrts. He was a member of the lower house of Congress 
twice between IHOl and 1S13. and was United States Senator, 1804-1809. AVas active 
in the College of Physicians and S\irgeons and the Rutgers Jledical School, in New 
Y'ork. With other eminent men he founded the New York Literary and Philosophical 
Society. A warm friend of Fulton, he accompanied him on the trial trip of the Clermont, 
in 1807. Dr. Mitcliell was endowed willi a remarkably retentive memory, and possessed 
great learning. 



WEDDIXG THE LAKKS AND THE SEA. 



467 



in the city of New York liad been foniieil aiul paraded througli the juiii- 
cipal streets. It was composed of representatives of every respectable 
class in the metropolis arranged in 
organized gronps. The benevolent, 
literary, and scientific institntions 
were represented, also the Fire De- 
partment, the bar, the pnlpit, and 
varions occupations. Ever}- society 
seemed emnlons to excel in the rich- 
ness and beauty and art excellence of 
its banner and designs. Twenty-two 
industrial societies had fnrnished 
themselves with large platforms, upon 
which the artisans were employed 
in their several occupations as the 
procession moved throngh the streets, 
l^pon one car was a ])rinting-press, 

from which were continually issned and scattered among the jie(i]ile cojiics 
of a long " Ode for the t'anal ('eleitration,"' opening with the following 
stanzas ; 

" 'Tis (lone ! TU (lone ! The mighty chaiu 
Which joins bright Ehie to the Main 
For aacs shall perpetuate 
The irlorv uf our native State. 




tvEG wit;! I.AIvE ERIE WATEli. 



' To-day the Siiv of Ocean takes 
A sylvan maiden to his arms, 
The Goddess of the crystal Lakes 
In all her native cliarms 1" 

The festivities of the day were closed in the evening by tlie iiinininn- 
tion of the public buildings. On the following day (Saturday) the dele- 
gations from t!ie West were eiitertaineil at a banqnet given in their honor 
on board the Chancellor Livingston. The pnblic institutions were 
opened to them. Sunday was passed quietly, and on Jlonday, the 7th, 
the festivities of the " canal celebration" were closed in the evening by 
a grand ball in the vast rooms of the Lafayette Amphitheatre in Laurens 
Street, near Canal Street. It was a brilliant assemblage (estimated) of 
more than three thousand persons. Among these were Governor Clinton 
and his wife. 

To every guest of the corporation of New York on that occasion, both 
ladies and gentlennni, a beautiful medal was presented, bearing on one 
side the image of I'an and Neptune in loving eiid)race, and also a well- 



4G8 TIIK EM1MIU-; ST.VTi:. 

fillod cornncopia sliowiiii; tlie productions of tlio laud and sea, witli the 
words, " Uxiox OF EiiiK WITH TIIK Arr-ANTic." On the otlier side were 
tlio anus of tlu; State of New Yoriv — the State wliieh liad boruL- the 
wliole burden in tiie construction of the great work — and a representatitdi 
■of a section of tlie canal, its locks and a(|ueducts, and a view of the 
liarhor of New York. On this side were the words, " Ekik Canal, 

•COMMEXCICI) 4tII day UK JuLY, 1817; COMl'LK-rEI) 20X11 OtTolJKR, ls:i5. 

Pkksentkd i!Y TIIK City of Nkw Yokk."* 

Wise and sagacious men had propliesied that this canal, when coin- 
])leted, Would give an impetus to business of every description in the city 
of New York and in the interior of the State, and j)roduce a wonderful 
increase in the population, commerce, and wealth of both sections. Tiiis 
]>roi)hecy was speedily fullilled.f The canal did nuire. It presented an 
ample outlet to the sea for the ])roducts of the then rapidly de\-eloping 
region in the vicinity of the great lakes and the valley of the Ohio, 
which added untold millions to the value! of that then almost wilderness 
region ; and tluis it became a national benefaction. It changed the 
whole as]iect of commercial affairs in the lake region. The total area of 
these four gi'cat inland seas is about nine thousand sipmre miles, and 
their inlets drain a region estimated at about three hundred and thirty- 
six thousand sipiare miles. Upon its bosom have floated j)roducts of the 
North-western States and Territories valued at billions of dollars. In 
the year 1S72 the value of ])roperty transported on that canal, not- 
withstanding a three-track railway lies parallel with it, was about 
$168,000,000. 

The Erie Canal M'as built by the State of New York at a cost of 
§9,(»00,0(»0. A greater portion of the country through which it jiasses 
was then an uncultivated wilderness. It was by far the most extensive 
public work ever attempted in this country up to that time, and excited 

* Tlie int'dals were ma(l(! of while metal. Some were mafle of .silver, aiul lifty-one 
gold ones were struck and sent to European monarchs and other distinguished persons. 
They were presented by a committee composed of Recorder Richard Riker, John Agnew, 
and AVilliam A. Davis. 

f In the \i'ar 1813, live years before the construction of tli<' ("iiial was begim, the lately 
appointed canal cominissioners — Oouvprneur ^Morris. Stephen van Rensselaer, Do Witt 
Clinton, and Peter B. Porter— gave the following iirophetic utterance : 

" Viewing the extent and fertility of the country with which this canal is to open com- 
munication, it is not extravagant to suppose tliat, when settled, its product will equal 
the present export of the United Slates [f.lS.OOn.OUO]. AVill it ajipear improbable that 
twenty j-ears hence [1833] the canal .shoidd annually bring down 250,000 tons ?" 
Twenty years after the completion of the canal (1845), there came upon it to tide-water 
1,107,000 tons of produce, valued at !f;45,000,000, the tolls upon which amounted to 
$2,500,000. 



INFLUENCE OF THE ERIE CANAL. 



4r,9 



universal admiration. It lias been twice enlarged, and is now seventy 
feet wide on the surface east of Eochester (and larger westward of tliat 
city), fifty feet wide at the bottom, and seven feet doej). 

The canal system of New York rapidly extended after the completion 
of the Erie Canal, embracing nearly every section of the State. The 
wJiole number of the canals is fifteen.* The larger ones after tlie Erie 
are the Champlain Canal, 6-i miles in length, finished in IS22 ; the 
Black River Canal, with its feeder, 87.5 miles in length, finished in 
1S4-9 ; the Genesee Valley Canal, with its Danville branch, 125 miles 



.£v^ A i- ' 
















BUFF.\I,0 IN 1815. 



long, begun in ISi'li and finished in isOl : and the Chenango Canal. !*T 
miles in length, completed in 1836. 

The marvellons influence of tiie Erie Canal in ])r(nnoting the increase 
of population in Western New York may be approximately estinuited by 
the growth of two of its chief cities — Buffalo and Rochester. Tiie 
British, as we have observed, literally " wiped out" Buffalo in 1813. 
In 1S25, on the completion of the canal, it contained a population of 
about sixty-three hundred. Five years later the population had doubled. 
Now (1887) it is over two hundred thousand. Rochester was a wilder- 
ness three fourths of a centur}'^ ago. The first dsvelling — a log-cabin — 

* Erie Canal, 364 miles in length ; Champlain Junction, 64 ; Watcrford Junction, 3 
Oswego, 38 ; Cayuga and Seneca, 21 ; Crooked Lake, 8 ; Clicnuing, 39 ; Chenango, 97 
Genesee Valley, 108. H ; Danville Branch, 11; Black River, 77.5 ; Black River Feeder, 10 
Delaware and IIud.son, 83 ; Oneida. 8. Total length of canals in the State, !)46.10 miles. 



470 



THE EMPIRE STATE. 



■was built tlicre in 1812. Tlic picture shows an actual occurrence at that 
time. In 1825 it had a pojnilation of about eighteen hundred. Five 



I 




ROCHESTER IN 1812. 

years later it was eleven thousand. Now the population is probably 
one hundred and fourteen thousand.* 

* At the iK-ginuing of 18K$ the Si'Ikm;i Indiiiiis. ;it a great galheriiig of the tribe, cn- 
caiiiixd oil the site of Koehe.ster, performed pagan rite.s there. It was a " great sacrifice 
ami tlianksgiviiig" after the corn luirve.st was seciu'ed aud the barbarians returned front 
their fir.st hunting. The festival occupied several days. Two dogs, as nearly pure white 
as could be found, were killed by strangulation (for the effusion of blood would sjioil the 
victim for sacrificial purposes) at the door of the council-house. The dogs were then 
])ainted with bright colors, decorated with feathers, and susjiendcd about twenty feet 
above the ground at thi' centre of the cam]!. Then the ceremonies, whicli consisted 
chiefly of feasting and dancing, began. 

Two carefully chosen bands, one of men the other of women, ornamented with trinkets 
and feathers, each person furnished with an ear of corn in the right hand, danced in a 
circle arountl the council fire, their steps regulated by rude music. Thence they went to 
every wigwam in the camp, and in like manner danced in a circle around each fire. (Jii 
another day, several men, clothed in the skins of wild beasts, covering their faces with 
hideous masks and their hands with the shells of tortoises, went among the wigwams, 
making friglitful noises, taking the fuel from the fire and scattering the embers and the 
ashes about the lloor for the jiurpose of driving away evil spirits. 

Tliese persons were supposed tluis to concentrate within themselves all the sins of llieir 
tribe. These sins were transferred into one of llx'ir own number, who. by magic, 
worked off fremi himself into the two susiiended dogs the ccmcentrated wickeilness of 
the tribe. The dogs were tlien placed on a jiile of wood which was ignited, while the 
s\n rounding multitude cast tobacco and other " incense" upon the flames, the odor of 
whicli was supposed to be a "sweet-smelling savor," which would conciliate the favor 



STORY OP JIORGAX, A FREE MASOX. 471 

In his message at the operiiiig of the session oi tiie Legislature early in 
January, 1826,* Governor Clinton urgently called attention to needed 
improvements in the eomnion-sehool system of the State, and recom- 
mended the establishment of normal schools for the education of teachers. 
In accordance with this rcct)mmendation John C Spencer, a son of 
Judge Ambrose Spencer, submitted an able report from the Literature 
Committee of the Senate, early in February, concurring with the gov- 
ernor's recommendation and directing tlie attention of the Legislature to 
the propriety of employing the various academies of the State for the 
purpose ; also appropriating a specitic portion of the public funds to 
this important end. The report also suggested the expediency of a plan 
of county supervision of the common schools ; resolutions recommend- 
ing the election of justices of the peace by tlie people and an amendment 
of the State Constitution removing all restrictions to the riglit of voting, 
excepting only citizenship and a residence of six months. These resolu- 
tioTis were adopted by the Legislature, and the amendment was made 
accordingly. So, in the year 1827, the people of the State of Xew York 
were forever freed from the control over public oj^inion by the central 
power, and universal suffrage lias since prevailed. 

Early in the autumn of 1820 an event occurred in Western New York 
which produced a great effect on society in general, and upon the political 
parties in this State and in several otiier States in the Union. William 
Jlorgan, a native of Virginia, a jirinter l)v trade, and a Royal Arch Free 
Mason, living in Catavia, X. Y., determined, for some reason, to publish 
a pamphlet in which the secrets of Free Masonry were to be disclosed. 
Some of his fellow-memljers discovered this intention, and it was soon 
made known to Masonic lodges iti Western Xew York. On Septend)er 
11th Morgan was arrested at his home, on a charge of theft, at the 
instance of the master of a lodge of Masons at (^anandaigua, and by him 
and other members of the order was hurried into a coach and taken to 
that town, lie was discharged by a justice because he found no cause 

of the Great Spirit. When the dogs were partially cousumed, one was taken from the 
sacrificial pyre, put into a large kettle with vegetables of various kiuds and boiled over 
a fire, when the whole company devoured the contents of the caldron. After tliis they 
performed the dances of war and peace, and smoked the calumet. Thus purified from 
•sin, they returned to their homes and began the occupations of the new year. 

* The year 1836 is memoraI]le in our national history because of the almost sinudtane- 
ous deaths of two of the leading founders of our Republic— Thomas Jefferson and John 
Adams. They botli died on July 'Ith. within a few hours of the same time. It was the 
fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independeuee. They were both 
on the committee which was aiipointed to draw up that Declaration. Jelferson wrote it, 
and both signed it. 



*'^^ TlIK K.MI'IIiK S'lA-l'i;. 

of action. He was in.iiiediatcly rearrosted oi, a <-ivil pr..<-..ss f,„- a tririin- 
debt and cast into jail. "' 

On tl.e following ni-l.t Moi-an was taken fr,,,,, tlie jail l,v a umnhrv 
of I-ree ila.son.s, tlirnst into a carria-e in waitin- taken l)v a relay of 
horses to Fort Nia-ara, at the month of the Nia-ara River, and confined 
in the ].owder nia-azine there. II,: was taken from that prison on the 
nii^dit of Septeml)or 2!tth, and was never heard of afterward 

It was known that Mor-an's hretl-.ren liad made violent attempts to 
suppress li.s book, and when this ontra-e was made pnblie the Free 
Masons were charged with its j^erpetration. There was widespread 
excitement. A pnblie meeting held at JJatavia appointe.l a committee 
to investigate the aifair. They found evidence of what they believed to 
be an extende.l conspiracy to effect Morgan's death, with many a-ents 
m..ve.l by powerlnl motives. Similar meetings were held elsewhere 
I'ul.lic excitement continually deepened and widened, and a stron- feel- 
ing soon pcrva.led the public niind that the :\[asonic institution M'as 
responsible for the crime. 

The i)rofoun.l mystery in which the allair was involve.] .mvc win-s to 
a thousand absurd rumors. Mutual criminations and ivriminadons 
became very violent, and entered into all religions, social, and political 
relations. A very strong Anti-ilasonic party was soon created, at first 
only social n, its character, bnt very soon it assumed a decided political 
aspect. 1 Ins feature of the party first appeare.l at town meetings in the 
spring of fS2-, when it was resolved by considerable majoritie; that no 
Iree Mason was worthy to receive the votes of free men. 

A ])olitical party formed for the exclusion of Free Masons from public 
offices was spread over the State of New York and into several other 
btates, and continued several years. In August, 1830, an Anti-Masonic 
Convention at I tica nominate-] Francis Granger for Governor of New 

IOC o.o ^'''"" ^' '^ '"'""P '™' ^'"^ m^'^^Wg candidate. Throoj> received 
128,842 votes am] Granger 120,8til votes. This result showed a i.ower- 
f ul anti-:yrasomc sentiment in the State. Mr. Granger was again nominated 
for governor in 1S32. In tlie same year a National Anti-Masonh- Conven- 
Av'n-''^ ll*:-^ '" Plnhulelphia, at which several States were represented. 
\\illiam Wirt, of Virginia, was nominated for President of the United 
States. The party polled a considerable vote, but soon afterward it be<ran 
to gradually fade, and speedily ],ecanie extinct as a political organization, 
llie fate of Morgan will never be known. It is l)elieyed that lie M-as 
tjil^en in a boat f ron^ Fort Ni agara, casHnto^the water, and drowned.* 

* In a series of letters written bvYv.lonel W. L. Btoni^^u^U^Mvir.^nl to .T.,l,n Qui„e> 
Adams m„l published .n u v„l„me of over five hundred pages, a full an.l important his- 
tory of the events I have alluded to is iriveu. 



NATIONAL TAHIFF CONVENTION. 473 



CHArTEll XXXIY. 

In the fall of 1826 Governor Clinton was re-elected, with Xathaniel 
Pitcher as lieutenant-governor. The chief events in the history uf the 
State during this— the fourth— term of ^h: Clinton as governor were 
the Morgan'episode and a State Convention held at Alliany on July 27th, 
1827, to appoint delegates to a National Tariff Convention, which was 
held at Ilarrisburg, Pa., on the 30th of the same month. 

At the close of the war foreign goods, admitted almost free, prevented 
the revival of American manufactures, especially of woollen goods. A 
inoderate tariff law was passed in 1818, and continued seven years. It 
was inadequate, and the manufacturers of New England and the Middle 
States clamored for protective laws. An act imposing heavier duties 
was passed in 1821. Still the northern manufacturers clamored for more 
protection, and called a convention at Ilarrisburg, Pa. 

Tlie cotton-growers of the South, meanwhile, perceiving tliat the 
tariffs were injurious to their interests, opj^osed them. Only four of the 
slave-labor States were represented at Ilarrisburg. Those of the North 
were numerous. New York sent about ten delegates to the convention. 
That body adopted a memorial to Congress on the subject, and Congress 
passed laws in 1827-28 which established a most stringent tariff. It was 
denounced by the Southern people as unjust and unconstitutional ; and 
it led to the " nullitieation movement" in South Carolina in 1^-32. 
These tariff laws, of which Henry Clay was the principal chamiuon, 
formed the foundation of the "American System," so called, tor 
protecting home manufactures. 

The State of New York and. indeed, the whole country now experi- 
enced a severe loss. Governor Clinton had suffered symptoms ol organic 
disease of the heart for several months. On the evenino-^ot_ lebiuary 
11th 1S2S, while sitting in his study conversing with two of his sons, lie 
suddenlv fell forward and expired. His death caused deep and smcere 
sorrow throughout the State and nation. The voice of partisanship was 
hushed Mi^ Yan Buren, long his most persistent political antagomst, 
said in "a public address: "The triumph of his talents and patnotism 
cannot fail to become monuments of high and enduring iame. ^^''';^'- 
in- to their political antagonism and nmtual personal respect, -Mr. Nan 



'*^'* 11 n-: KMI'IKK STATK. 



.nro„ .sa,d : " I ^.ho, wl.ile living, never, ,.o. never, envied l.in. anv- 
tlung, no. that he h.. fallen, I an. greatly ten.pte.l to envv In", il 
gnjve vv, h ,t. honor.'- Lientenant-Governor Piteher perfonned th 
dutie.. of governor dnnng the remainder of the term 

An act w:,s passed dnring the session of 1S2,S for the or-Mni/ation in 
t^e cty of ^e. York of a Superior Conrt of Con.non Plea;;: U^ i^ 
of c.vd actions of wh.ch Chaneellor Samuel Jones- was appointe.l 

J. tice... In the san.e year a contest for the Presidency of the United 
States oeeurred hetwecn J,.h„ Q„i„ey Adams and General Andrew- 
Jackson, wind, resnlted in the election of the latter, with .I..h„ 
C. Calhom. as A ,ce- President. The New York Legislature chose twenty 
e ee ors favorable to Jackson and sixteen favorable to Adan.s In the 
dechon for State officers i„ the fall, Martin Van P.urcn was chosen 
Governor of New "l ork. 

In his message at the opening of the Legislature in 1S2!) Cn.vernor 
V an I.uren reconnnended the appropriation of the surplus fun.is of the 
btate and a jud.oous use of its credit to an extension of the svstem of 
njernal nnprovements ; also the establishment of a safetv fund for the 
utnnate redemption of the notes of the several State banks, the choice 
of presidential electors by the poojde, an.l the promotion of the interests 
of popular education. A .safety-fund bill planned bv Joshua Forman" 
of Onondaga, ^vas passe.l. and thirty-one banks, exclusive of three of 
the city of New 1 ork, were rechartered under the law. This excellent 
safety-fund system prcvaile.l in Xew York until the estaldishment of 
our present national ciirrcncv during the late Civil War 

In March, 182-.. (Governor A'an Duren accepted the position of Secre- 
tary of State of the I nited States in the Cabinet of President Jackson 
and fortlnvith he resigned his chair, which was tille.l bv Lieutenant' 
Governor Throop. The fall election gave a very large niafority of the 
x.htUMi rien.ls of .Tack.son (Democrats) to both branches of'tlie Lcnsla- 
ture Tlie Anti-Masons carried lifteen of the western counties" and 
polled sixty-seven thousand votes. 



Sauu-lJones was born .„ Xew York in 1769; wa.s educated a, Col,.M..,ia Colle.^e ■ 
.n f :; 7 ', V^ "..''""'"" '" '"^ ^"'"^'^■'' "ffl^-^'- »'- t'luef-jusliee of Xew Y^rk 
o the >,ew lork .Usembly. lHlo-t4 ■. Ue.or.ler of New York Ci.v in KS23 ; ap,H,in.e.l 
eellor of .he State ,n mi^. and accepted the office of Chief-.Iustice of the Sup" o 



AN INFLUENTIAL A.NTi-.MASONIC JUUKNAl, 



475 




^'^ 



r 



SILAS WUICHT. 



It was at tliis time tliat Silas Wriglit,* who liocaine cdiispicuons in the 
State and nation, api)eai'(j(l veiy prominent in pnijiic atfairs in New York. 
He liadbeen State Senatoraml mem- 
ber of Congress ; he M'as now made 
comptroller — the manager of the 
complicated financial operations of 
the State. He proved himself com- 
petent and trnstworthy. After con- 
ducting that office with signal abil- 
ity for some years, he was transferred 
to the Senate of the Ignited States. 

Early in 1830 the Anti-Masons 
established at the seat of the State 
government the Alhany Eveninc/ 
Journal^ with Thurlow Weed f as 
editor. It took a conspicuous place 
in journalism from the start, and 
for a generation, uudei" the manage- 
ment of Mr. Weed, it e.xerted mar- 
vellous power over the jiolitics and politicians of the State. Mr. Weed, 
wrote Hammond, :j: was " one of the most shrewd and sagacious political 

* Silas Wright was born at Amherst, Mass., in May, 1795 ; died at Canton, N. Y., in 
August, 1847. Hl' was admitted to tlie bur in 1819, and began the pracfic(; of law at 
Canton. He was appointed surrogate of the county (St. Lawrence) in 1820. In 182H he 
became State Senator, and a member of Congress 1837-29. In 1829 he was made 
Comptroller of the State of Kew York ; United States Senator in 1833 ; defended Jack- 
son's course in his warfare on the L'nited Slates Bank ; voted for the annexation of 
Te.xas ; declined to be made a justice of the Supreme Court, and in 1844 declined the 
nomination for the vice-presidency. The same year he was elected Governor of Ninv 
York. The next year he was offered the jilace of Secretary of the Treasury in President 
Polk's Cabinet. He retired to private life on leaving the chair of Governor of New York, 
and died soon afterward. 

f Tluulow Weed was born in Cairo, N. Y., in NovciiilHr, 1797. Ih^ was a cabin-boy 
on a North River .sloop at ten years of age ; learned tlu; ])rinter's trade at Catskill, and 
in 1812 was a vohmteer in the military .service on the northern frontier of New York. 
He imsuccessfuUy attempted the establishment of a newspaper in Central New York, 
and in ]82()-27 he edited the Anti-Maixmic Eiujnlrer. He w'as twice elected to the 
Assembly. lu 1830 he became the editor of the Alhdiiy Eceniiifj Joiinuil, and very soon 
became a i>roniincnt leader of the Whig and then the Kepublican Parly, but he would 
never accept public otlice of any kind. In 18(il President Lincoln sent liini to Europe in a 
senii-diplomatic capacity. He returned home in .lime. lS(i2. Then for a while lie was 
editor of the Xi ir York C'limmeiriiil Adrertisev. In 186.-) he took u]) his permanent abode 
in the city of New York with his family, and died at his home there on November 22d, 
1882. He had visited Europe .several times, the last in 1871. 

X Politiml Uiittory of Nno York, by Jabez D. HaninKmd, LLH., vol. ii.. p. 339. 



470 Tin: i;mi'I|{|". state. 

editors and eagle-eyed politicians tlie State of Xew York ever pro- 
cliieed."" 

A " Workiniinieii's I'urty"" was formed in tlie State of New York in 
1830, but was short-lived. It was complained that workingmen did not 
receive a fair share of tlie pulilic offices and emohnnents. Others besides 
Workingmen flocked tf) tlie new standard. General Erastns Root was 
nominated \>y tlie ]>arty for governor. It was professedly opposed to 
I)anks and paper money. It was soon controlled l)y others than working- 
men— aspiring ])oliti(Mans — and, like all organizations effected and ruled 
by demagogues, it tlourished awhile and then disappeared. 

The rapid influx of ])o]iulati(in into tlie city and State of Xew York, 
especially from the Xew England States, after the completion of the 
Erie Canal, speedily put an end to the reign of the Knicker])o5ker ele- 
ment on society. Fashions, customs, and the general aspects of social 
life were modified by this immigration, and Xew York soon became 
largely, what it is to-day, a cosmopolitan city.* 

It was at this period that "William II. Seward, then a very young man, 
was sent to the State Senate. lie took his seat in January, 1831. when 
only thirty years of ago. He had been elected by the iVnti- Masonic 
Party, who at tlie same time chose thirty members of the Assembly. 
That l)arty nominated Francis Grangei- for governor and Samuel Stevens 
for lieutenant-governoi- in 1S32, Avitli an electoral ticket led l)y Chan- 
cellor Kent and John C. Spencer. The '' Xational Repuldicans,'' as 
the adherents of Henry Clay called themselves, ado])ted the Anti- 
Masonic ticket ; i)ut tlie Democratic majority in the State at the election 
was thirteen thousand. General Jackson M-as re-elected President and 
Martin Van Iluren Vice-President. With this contest the existence of 
the ]iolitical Anti-Masonic Party, State and Xational, Avas virtually 
terminat(!d. The institution of Free Masonry soon recovered from the 
shock and regained its good reputation and influence. 

* Tlic older reatUn- will rcmcmlxr the fashions of the ladies about 1833. They were 
generally rather plain, but rich in material and colors. The walking-dres.s was lavender 
gray in color. The .sleeves were tight from the elbow to the wrist, and very full above. 
They were called ■'mutton-leg sleeves." A ruche trimmed the corsage and extended 
straight down the front of the dress, wdiich was short, showing the whole of the black 
prunella gaitcr-slioes. The bonnet was Leghorn straw, with .square brim lined with 
green satin. The crown was trimmed with three bands of green ribbon and a full 
cockade ill the centre. The necU-knot was a green ribbon. The evening-dress was of 
Chinese green faced with dark green velvet and " mutton-leg" sleeves with velvet cuffs. 
Tlie trimming of the skirt was a velvet band from which depended larg(' leaves. The 
hair was dressed in fidl curls on the forehead, and in bows of moderate height on the top 
of the head. A wreath of roses and bluelx-lls surrounded the base of the bows. Delicate 
iiioroeco or satin slippers covered the feet. 



THE NAMING OF THE WHK! I'AKTV. 



477 



In 1832 tlie Whig Party was formed in this wise : James Watson 
Webb, the editor and proprietor of the Neiv York Cojtrii'r anil EiK/uirer, 
who attended as a spectator the Anti-Masonic Convention at Piiiladeljihia 




NE\v YoitK COSTUMES aboi;t 1832. 



which nominated AYilliam Wirt for President, wrote a letter to liis 
journal, in which he pointed ont the folly of the different parties wasting 
"their energies in separately opposing General Jackson. He ])roposed a 



478 



TlIK KMI'IKK ST.VTK. 



>^, 



a^ 



coalition of tlie generaFs opponents under one rallyinic name to " tight 
the dangerous democracy."' He chiimed tliat these parties were contend- 
ing for tlie Constitution against executive usurpation, while their opjxj- 
nents were battling to sustain sucli an usurpation. '" "VVe, therefore, are 
lf7(/y.<," he said, " while they are Tor'u's. Why not, then, take to our- 
selves the name of Whi(j, which represents our jirinciples, and give to 
our opponents the name of Tories ?" 

This letter was read to a very large meeting assendiled at Masoinc Hall, 

Broadway near Pearl Street, 
Kew York, by Philip Hone, 
who presided, and who suggested 

.- - — the adoption of the name of 

"Whig." It was done. The 
press and the people all over the 
country ac(juiesced. Thus it was 
that the great historic " Whig 
Party" received its name. 

At tliis period the State of 
New York took the lead in a 
most important measure of re- 
form, marked by justice and 
humanity. Enos T. Throop * 
took his seat as Governor of the 
State early in 1S81. In his 
message to the Legislature he 
reconnnended the passage of a 
law for the abolition of imprison- 
ment for debt ; also for restrict- 
ing tlie deatli penalty to oidy one 
specific crime. A law for the abolition of imprisonment for debt was 
passed at that session, and so Xew York acquired the honor of being 
the pioneer among the States in the work of abolishing from its statutes 
that absurd and barbarous law. 

The enil)ittered op]ionents of Anti-]\Iasonry had joined in the supjwrt 
of Mr. Throop, and his election by over eight thousand majority gave to 

* Enos T. Throop was born at Johnstown, N. Y., in August, 1784 ; died at Auburn, 
N. Y.. Xovcmbcr 1st. ISTo. lie acquired by hard study ii chissical and Ii'.L'al education, 
wliile performin;; the duties of an attorney's clerk. He .scttUfl in Auburn, X. Y., rose to 
eminence in his profession and as iin acute politician, and was appointed circuit judjre in 
1823. He was a memlxr of Conjrrcss, 1815-17, and in 1828 was elected Lic\itenant- 
Governor of the State of New York. In 1830 he was elected governor. In 1838 Gov- 
ernor Throop W!is appointed ehitrifi (Vnffaires to the two Sicilies. 




ENOS T. TinSOOP. 
(From painling by Charles L. Elliott.) 



RENEWAL OF THE V. S. BANK CIIAKTEK OPPOSED. 



479 



the Jackson party a large ami pormaiioiit accession of voters in the State 
of Xew York William L. Marcv,* a distinguished jurist, rij)e scholar, 
and expert politician, was elected governor by that strengthened party, 
and took his seat early in January, 1833. lie was a member of the 
United States Senate at the time of his election, and in that body he had 
frankly ]>roninlgated the maxim that " to the victor belong the sjwils. " 
His seat there was filled by Silas 
Wright, and the vacant seat of 
another Xew York Senator was 
given to Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, 
of Duchess County. 

The State of New York became 
very early a party to the vehement 
discussion, which took a national 
range, concerning the renewal of 
the charter of the Um' ted States 
Bank, for the destruction of which 
President Jackson was then waging 
an uncompromising war. Its char- 
ter would expire in 1S3G. In the 
winter of 1832 the bank applied to 
Congress for a renewal of its char- 
ter. During the sitting of the 
Legislature of New York the same 

winter a joint resolution was passed, after a warm debate, instructing the 
senators and requesting the members of the House of Representatives 
to resist such renewal. The resolution received an overwhelming major- 
ity of votes. 

!Mr. Van Buren, then designated the " Favorite Son of New York," 
felt the effects of this vote. lie was known also us the " court favorite" 




Wll.I.IAM I.. MAUrV. 



* William Learned Marcy was born in Sovithbridgo, Mass., in December. 1786 ; died 
at Balston Spa, N. Y. , Jidy 4lli, 1857. He wtw graduated at Brown University in 18(18 ; 
taught school in Newport, R. 1., awhile ; studied law and began its practice at Troy, 
N. Y. He joined the army as a volunteer in 1812, and assisted in the capture of Canadian 
militia at St. Regis, the first prisoners taken on laud. In 1816 he was Recorder of Troy. 
He edited tlie noj/ Jiuilr/ct for a time as the leading Democratic organ in Rensselaer 
County, and was made .Vd jutant-General of the Stat(! in 1821. In 1823 he was State 
Comptroller, and in 1829 justiee of the State Supreme Court. In 1831 lie was ehosen 
United States Senator, and was elected Governor of the State in 1833. He held that 
office by re-election until 1839. He was Secretary of War in Folk's Cabinet from 1845 
to 1849. during the war with ^Mexico. He was I'liited States Secretary of State, 1853-57. 
Governor Marey was the autlior of several important State paix-rs. 



480 IIIK KMl'lKK STA'I'K. 

— the i)ct of tlie PiTsi(l(!iit, wlio dusiri'il liini to lie his successoi' in tlie 
proHidciitiiil cliiiir. Jiicksuii apjioiiiteil liiin ^[inister to Eiiiilaiid (iiiriiig 
tlio recess of the Senate, lie sailed to that country, and was installed as 
accredited Minister of the United States. Henry Clay was a candidate 
for the presidency. By his tact and talcTit he succeeded in forming a 
party in the Senate opposed to the President. It consisted of a majority 
of the members of that body. The Senate was induced to refuse to 
ratify the appointment of Van Buren, and the uncunMrnKMl minister was 
compelled to return homt; a private citizen. 

The rejection of Mr. Van Buren jiroduced intense indignation, espe- 
cially in the State of Xew York. Indignation meetings denounced the 
act in no measured terms. Van Buren was considered by a large pro])or- 
tion of the American people a victim of persecution, and their love of 
fair ])lay and theii' admiration fni- his ability caused them to elect him 
President of the United States as the successor of General Jackson. 

It was at this ])eriod that the country was violently agitated by a 
movement in South Carolina to carry into practical effect tlie doctrine of 
supreme State sovereignty by an attempt to nullify or to defy laws of 
tiie United States. President Jackson promptly met this revolutionary 
movement l)y issuing a j>roclamation,* in which he denied the right of 
any State to nullify a law of the National Government, and commanded 
immediate obedience to all the laws. The proclanuition was followed by 
prompt action, and very soon the coimtry was relieved from menaces of 
civil Avar. The President was sustained by the loyal and patri<itic men 
of l)oth parties. 

The most effective blow given to the United States Bank by the I'resi- 
dent in his warfare upon that institution was the removal from its 
custody of the deposits of the national funds, amounting to about 
$10, 000, (too, and ])lacing the money on depiosit in the State banks in the 
fall of 1833. 

The Legislature of New York, then strongly l)enu)cratic, passed a 
resolution early in 1S3-I-, by a large majority, approving of the action of 
the President in ordering the removal of the deposits. It was believed 
that the deposit of the funds in the State baid<s would be of great benefit 
to the business community by affording facilities for acquiring loans 
from the banks. So it did : but the final result was anything but 
salutary. It led to the creation of a vast and dangerous credit system 
and wild speculations, which ultimately caused widespread disaster, as 
we shall perceive presently. 

* Tliis proclamatinii w as written by the able Socrotary of State, T-ouis ^IrLanc. 



FIRST POPULAR ELECTION OF :MAY0R OF NK\V YORK. 481 

The managers of the United States Bank " got even'" witli tlie New- 
Yorkers by bringing to bear upon them with peculiar severit}', because 
of that resohition, the system they had adopted at tlie time of the 
removal of the deposits, of a great and sudden curtailment of discounts, 
and making forced (collections from debtors. Their loans then amounted 
to §(5(),0<)(),000. This severity brought the baidcs of New York to the 
verge of suspension of specie payments. To avert this cahunity the 
Legislature, on the recommendation of the governor, tendered a loan to 
the banks of the credit of the State to the amount of $."'),()()o,()()()j should 
relief become necessary. Tliere was widespread commercial distress 
and a panic for a while. Very soon the gi'eat hank afforded relief by a 
sudden enlargement of discounts and a great eximnsion of its circulation, 
allowing the State deposit banks to loan freely. This revelation of the 
inherent ]>ower of the baid-c for working mischief attested the wisdom of 
the President in making war upon it. 

By an act of the Legislature passed in March, ISJiJr, the people of 
New 1 ork City were empowered for the tirst time to elect their own 
mayor. Hitherto that officer had been chosen by the Council of 
Appointment or by the Governor and Senate of the State. The first 
mayor elected by a popular vote was Cornelius W. Lawrence. 

At that time a feud in the ranks of the Democratic Party in the city 
■was disturbing its harmony, distracting its organization, and weakening 
its power. There luid been formed, under the teachings of Fanny 
"W^right and others of communistic proclivities, a " Padical"' or " Equal 
Eights" faction, which appealed to the sympathies of the vvorkingmen. 
It occasioned a split in the Democratic Party and the application to it of 
a nickname that adhered for several years. At a meeting in Tammany 
JLdl just before the election in the fall of 1S35, both sections of the 
party zealously claimed the right to the chair and the management of the 
proceedings. Violence ensued, and a grand row was the consecpience. 
In the midst of the affrfw the gas was turned off' and the room was left 
in darkness. One of the E(|ual Eights Party having some " loco- 
f oco " matches in his pocket, relighted the lamps, and the business of the 
meeting proceeded. '' I was one of the vice-presidents,'" wrote an actor 
in the scene, " and the next day I was compelled to buy a suit of new 
clothes. In a short time the whole Democratic Party were known as 
' Loco-focos.'' " 

In January, 1S3I^ tlu; Eipud Eights T'arty organized as distinct from 
the Denujcratic Party, and adopted a Declaration of Eights, which 
condemned all monopolies and the issuing of a pajjcr cnrrency by banks. 
They declared no man eligible for nomination for otffce by this party 



482 THE KMl'IKK STATK. 

unless lie had signed the Declaration. One of the active memhers — ■ 
John Windt, a ])rinter — issued a journal called The Democrat as the 
ornan of the new party. They nominated a candidate for flavor of New 
York in the spring ; proposed to nominate Colonel Sanmel Young for 
govcM-nor, and attempted to form a State E(pial Tvights Party at a 
convention held at Utica in Sej)temlier, wlien they nominated Isaac 
8. Smitli, of liutValo, for governor, Uol)ert Townsend, of New ^'ork, for 
lieutenant-governor, Frederick A. Tailmadge for State Senator, and a 
full Assembly ticket. They appointed a State ('orresi)on(ling Com- 
mittee. At the municiiial election in the spiing of 1S3T their candidate 
for mayor received over four thousand votes. At a convention held at 
Utica in September they devised a State Constitution 

The days of the Equal llights Party were few. In the fall of 
1837, finding very few adherents to the party outside of the city of New 
York, they effected a reunion with the Tamnumy ])arty, or the old Demo- 
crats. Probably no political party in the State ever received more 
severe attacks and scathing animadversions than this. All the hanks 
and the whole influence of chartered corporations and associated wealth 
were agniiist them. Also the press of both parties, ex('epting the lirvn- 
ing Post, conducted by William C. llryaiit and William Leggett.* The 
Post did not ajiprove of a separate ]iarty organization, but warndy a<lvo- 
cated its juinciples. 

This was also a ])eriod of a radical revolution in jonrnalism, which was 
inaugurated in the city of New York by James Watson Webb,t 13enja- 

* William Le^frctt wtis a jiowcrful writer uiid ii radiciil rcfoiincr in his proflivitics. 
He was born in the city of New York in 1802 ; died at New Koehelle. N. Y., in May. 
1839. He was a graduate of Georgetown (Roman Catholic) College, and was a midship- 
man in the United Slates Navy, 1822-36. Then he devoted himself to literary pursuils 
chiefly. He was a constant contributor to Morris's JVVw York Mirnir iwuX other publica- 
tions for years, under the title of "Tales by a Country Schoolmaster. " In the autumn 
of 1828 he eslMblished in New York Cit\' a weekly literary ]>erio(lical called 'I'lw Ci-itir. 
It was .soon united with the Mirror. In 1829 he became a.ssoeialed with William CuUen 
IJryant in the management of the yrw York Kri niup PuKt, and was its chief editor in 
1834-3."). He sympathized with the anti-slavery iiiovrinciils (if that day. and ably 
defended the right of free speech and dLseussioii. hi ISIiti he established T/it Plniii 
Dealer, devoted to polities and literature, but failing health soon compelled him to relin- 
quish literary labor. ApjHjinted diplomatic agent to the republic of Gu.itemala, he was 
preparing for a voyage thither when he suddenly died at his home. 

f .lames Watson Webb, son of General Samuel H. Webb, of tlii' Hevolution, was born 
at Claverack, N. Y.. in February, 1802. He entered the army as second lieutenant in 
-Vugust, 1819: was first lienteiiaiil in 1828; resigned in 1827, and entered the arena of 
journalism in the city of New York, in which he wrought with power for Ihirlysix years 
—1827-61. He formed a conspicuous jiarl of the social and political history of the city of 
New York. He was the itublisher and chief e<litor of the Morning C>>"riir nni? Knr/uirer 



A REVOI-l'TIOX I\ JoruXAMSM 



483 



nifu II. Day, and James Gordon Bennett, ('olonel Welil) initiated the 
enterjM'ise of collecting news by sending a fast-sailing clipper-built 
schooner many miles at sea to meet vessels from foreign ports, gather 
the latest news from abroad, and speedily publish it to the world. His 
contemporaries soon followed his example. 

On September 3d, 1S33, Mr. Day issued the lirst number of the Sun, 
the first one-cent daily newspaper ever pul)lishcd. Imitations soon 
followed. On May 6th, 1835, Mr. 
Bennett issued tlie first number of ^ ' 

the permanently estaiilished Herald 
on a nominal capital of !r^.">00, and 
introduced a new feature in jour- 
nalism — the ''Money Article."' 
His contemporaries followed his 
lead. At that time (1835), of the 
fifteen daily newspapers published 
in the city of New York, tlien 
having a poi)ulation of two liimdred 
and seventy thousand, only the Sun 
had a circulation of over six thou- 
sand daily. 

This was also a period of riots in 
the city of New York. Emigration 
had recently given to the city a 

large population of ignorant, ex(;ital)lc, and often vicious foreigners, and 
these were s])ee(lily transformed, Iiy unwise naturalization laws, into 
citizens and legal voters. This class of voters was out in full force at 
the first popular election of a mayor of tiie city in the sjiring of 1834. 
They generally affiliated with the Democratic Party, and were always 
the pliant tools of demagogues. 

Early in the morning of the first day of the election (the polls Avere 
then opened three days in succession) riotous symptoms appeared. The 




.lAMKS WATSON WKISl!. 



from 1830. In 1842 he Wiis wounded in the leg in a duel with Thomsis F. Mar.sliiill, of 
Kentucky — an affair which was the result of gross misrepresentations. In 1846 lie was 
made military cngineer-in-chief of the State, and ever after he bore the title of " general." 
In 1861. after declining a mission to Constantinople, he was appointed hy President 
Lincoln Minister to Brazil, where he performed etheient serviees, and returned home in 
1861, when \w. retired front publie life. General "Webb died at his residenee in New 
York on June 7th, 1884. 

The above portrait represi'uts Iiim when over eighty years of age. General ^\ ebb, 
through his personal intimacy w^ilh the Emperor Napoleon III., was instrumental in pro- 
curing the withdrawal of the French troops from Mexico diu'ing our Civil \<m\ 



484 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

DcniDcratic leaders were ex<asperated hy tlio opproljrious name of Tories 
applied to tlieir ])arty hy their uppoiioiits, and seemed determined to win 
the victory at all hazards. The Whigs were nnmerous and strong ; tlie 
Democrats liad l)een weakened I)y discord. 

In the Sixtli Ward, where there was a hirge foreign population, a nioh 
M-as soon gathered, and, led l)y an cx-alderman, ruslied into the Wliig 
counnittee-room, tore down the political hanners, destroyed the liallots, 
and made a wreck of everything. They had felled to tlie floor, hruised 
and l)leeding, ahout twenty of the inmates. The remainder escaped 
witli hnn'ses and torn garments. Clnhs and even knives liad heen used, 
and one man was carried out in a living condition. This occurrence 
gave tire ward the title of the " ijloody Sixth." 

This outrage aroused the <)pj)osite party to vigorous action, and under 
the lead of Colonel Welih an organized force of Whigs preserved com- 
parative order, especially at the polls, the next day ; hut at night an 
enormous moh assemhled in the City Hall I'ai'k. A cross had heen set 
up near hy hearing the words, " Down wnii iiik Courier and Enquikkr 
Building," a five-story structure in Wall Street. Colonel Wehh, the 
editor and proprietor of that journal, \vas the chief ohjeet of the wrath 
of the assendded multitude, who were required to march hy and touch 
the cross. Then speakers in the park iii-ged the excited populace to pro- 
ceed to Wall Street. They did so with shouts and yells, which sent a 
thrill of alarm throughout the city. They found Colonel Wehh's castle 
so strongly fortified, with him at the head of a well-armed and deter- 
mined garrison, that they not only refrained from attack, hut, cowards 
as they were, scampered away as fast as their legs could carry them. 

On the following day there was a fierce collision in Broadway in front 
of Masonic Hall, M'here Mayor Gideon Lee, who attemj)tod to quell the 
disturhaiice, was severely heaten. The rioters prepared to seize the 
Arsenal, when the mayor called out the (now) Seventh Regiment, 
National Guards, when order was soon restored hy them ; hut the city 
was kept in a state of excitement for nearly two days longer. The 
Democrats had elected their candidate for mayor, Mr. Lawrence. 

The election riots of 1S34 and the increasing nund)ers and influence of 
foreign-horn citizens finally alarmed thoughtful men. It was found that 
these adopted citizens held the halance of power hetween the Whig and 
Democratic parties, and that whichever party gained a victory they 
claimed an unreasonahle share of the "spoils." The l)est citizens of 
New York, helieving it to he their duty to check this influence, so 
menacing to our free institutions through the instrumentality of the hallot- 
box, cond)ined, in the winter of 1S42-43, in forming a new political 



ABOLITION UIOTS IN NEW YORK CITY. 485 

organization for the purpose, wliich was called the Native American 
Party. They elected James Harper,* of the puhlishing house of 
Harper A: Brothers, Mayor of New York in the spring of 1844-, by a 
majority of over four thousand. From this auspicious heginning the 
])arty spread over the State and the republic, l)ut its policy l)ecame so 
narrow and so really anti- American in character that after the presi- 
dential election in IS.'iO, when its candidate for President of the United 
States was Millard Fillmore, it v.-as dissolved. 

The passions of the lower orders in New York City were so excited to 
do mischief by the election riots, that immediately afterward they were 
incited by the demagogues who had led them before to engage in a fearful 
public disturbance known as '' The Abolition Riots." New York City 
was the headipiarters of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Their 
meetings were frecpiently disturlied by their ignorant or unreasoning 
opponents. In July, IS'M, these disturbances blossomed out into a wild 
Tiot, Avhicli spread terror over the entire city. Houses of humane 
citizens were sacked, the property of others was destroyed, and no less 
than five churches in the city were attacked and partially demolished. 
Again the (now) Seventh Regiment, National Guards, was called out 
to suppress the dangerous tumult and to restore order. In this elfort it 
succeeded admirably. 

In the years 1S?A and 1S;]5 a spirit of wild speculation scourged the 
land. Trade was brisk ; the shipping interest was prosperous ; prices 
ruled high ; luxury abounded, and nobody seemed to perceive the under- 
current of disaster that was surely wasting the foundations of the ai^surd 
credit system and the real prosperity of the people. The credit system 
collapsed at the touch of the Ithuriel spear of Necessity. The Bank of 
England, seeing exchanges running higher and higher against that 
country, contracted its loans and admonished houses giving long credits 
to Americans by the use of money liorrowed from the bank to curtail that 
liazardous business. At about the same time the famous '' Specie 
Cii'cuhu" went out fi'om our Treasury Department (July, 1S'M>) directing 

* James Harper, the senior member of the original firm of Harper & Brothers, was the 
.son of Joseph Harper, of Newtown, L. I., where he was born in April, lT9.i. At sixteen 
years of age he went to New York to learn the art of printing. Iniluslrious and thrifly, 
he was able, soon after his majority, to begin business on his own aeeonnt. In the eonrsc 
of time his three brothers, John, Joseph AVesley, and Fletcher, became ;i.ssociated with 
liini ill the printing and publishing business under the firm name of Harper it Hrotliers. 
This brotherhood remained unbroken forty-three years, when, in March, 1839, James 
died at St. Luke's Hospital, New Y'ork, whither he had Ixien taken, mortally hurt by 
being thrown from his carriage while his horses were ruiuiing away. 3Ir. Harper was 
ever prominent in good works. 



480 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

the collectors of tlu' i)iil)lic money to receive nothinji; hut coin. From 
the ]);irlor of the l!;iiik t)f England .and from the Treasury of the T'nlted 
States went forth the unwelcome tiat, " Pay u]) !'" American houses in 
London failed for many millions, and every bank in the I'nited States 
suspended sjiecio ])ayments in ls;5T. Tn IS.'iO the Bank nf the Ignited 
States, which had been rechartered by tiie State of Pennsylvania, fell 
into hopeless ruin, and with it went down a large number of the State 
banks of the country. A general Bankrupt Act, passed in 1S41, 
relieved of debt about forty thousand persons, who.se aggregate liabilities 
amounted to about $441,000,000. 

Tiie business men of the city and State of New York suffered intensely 
from these financial troubles. Already the merchants of the city had 
been severely smitten by a fearful conflagration on a bitterly cold night — 
December IGtli, 1S;5.5 — which reduced to ashes and cinders in the space 
of a few hours jiroiierty valued at almost $20,000,000. But from this 
calamity and the tinancial troultles of 1837 the merchants of ^ew York, 
by their energy and plucic, presented the spectacle of a speedy and 
marvellous rebound. 

The construction of tlie L'roton A(pieduct for the sanitary and other 
■uses of the iidiabitants of the city of New York had been begun a few 
weeks before the great fire. It was completed in ls42 at a cost of 
$10,370,000, including $1,S((0,000 for distriljuting pii)es and amounts 
jiaid for the right of way. It extends from the Crotou River, in West- 
chester County, where the waters of that stream are collected in a largo 
reservoir, to the distributing reservoir at Forty-second Street and Fifth 
Avenue, in New York City, a distance of about forty miles. The 
a'pieduct is tubular in form, and (crosses the Harlem River over the 
magnificent High Bridge. The receiving reservoir within the Central 
Park covers an area of thirty-live acres. 



FREE SCHOOL FJBIJARIES ESTABLISHED. 487 



CHAPTER XXXY. 

Ctoternor Marcy's administration cxtundud from 1833 to 1839, 
during which time wise and important measures were adopted by the 
Legislature on his recommendation. The most conspicuous of tliese 
measures was a provision, at the session of 1835, for the enhirgemeut of 
tlie Erie Canal and for the promotion of popular education and enlighten- 
ment. The Legislature responded generously. It instructed the canal 
commissioners to " enlarge and improve the Erie Canal, and construct a 
doulile set of lift-loeks therein." These improvements were finally 
made, at an expense far greater than the cost of its original constru(!tion. 
This enlargement had hecome necessary because of the increasing busi- 
ness of the canal within ton years after it was completed. 

This provision foi- the material prosperitj^ of the State was supple- 
mented in April, 1835, by a provision for the intellectual advancement 
of the people of the commonwealth. A law was passed for the establish- 
ment of a free library in every school district in the State, then number- 
ing over nine thousand six hundred. Governor Marcy took special 
interest in the matter, and made untiring efforts to accomplish this 
important object — this grand feature of our common-school system. He 
desired to afford an opportunity to every child within the border of the 
commonwealth, of whatever color, race, creed, or condition, to acquire 
intellectual and moral cultivation and enlightenment. The late General 
John A. Dix was the Secretary of State and Superintendent of Common 
Schools when these libraries were established. To his wisdom and sound 
judgment, aided by his deputy, S. S. Randall, the people of the State 
were indebted for the excellence of the selection of the books for the 
liitraries.* These were pretty generally estal)lished in 1S38, when the 

* In tlie selection of books the following directions were adhered to ; 

" 1. No works written professedly to uphokl or attack any sect or creed in i>ur country 
claiming to be a religious one sliall be tolerated in tlie school libraries. 

" 3. Standard works on oilier topics .sliall not be excluded because they incidentally 
•and indiivelly betray the religious opinions of their authors. 

■■ 3. Works avowedly on other subiecls which abound in direct and unreserved attacks 
on or defence of llie character of any religious .sect, or those which hold up any religious 
body to contempt or execration by singling out or bringing together only the <larker part 
of its history or character, shall be excluded from the school libraries. In the selection 
of books for a district library, information and not mere amusement is lo be regarded as 



488 



TIIK r.MIMKi: STATE. 



pupils attending tlie district schools of the State iniiiil)ercil alxmt live 
Iniiidrod tlioiisaiiil five litmdred. An annual appropriation of S5r),(l(i() 
was niade for tlie purchase of books for the libraries. In iS-ii a State 
Normal School (the first in the coinmonwealth) was established at 
Albany, of whicli l>avi(i 1'. Patce \vas tlie first priiici]>al. It occupied a 




STATK NOHMAI. SCIIOOI. lUII.niNCi AT AI.HANY. 



bnildinii on State Street fllT) oriijinally erected by the Mohawk and 
Ilndson rtailrtiad Company for a ]>assenger depot.* 

It was at this period that great improvements were made in the system 
of ])op>dar education in tiic city of New York. Tlie Lancastrian or 
monitorial form <A government and instruction had long prevailed there 



tlic primary objccl. Suitiil)lc ]iii)visi(in sliimld, liowever, be iiuuic for the inlclleolual 
wants of llu; yoiiiii; by furiiisliin!; llicm with books which, without boiiiu' im-icly juvenile 
in clmnutcr. may be level to Ihifir coinprehension and sullieiently enlertaininir to excite 
and };ratify a taste for readinj;. It is useless to buy books that are not read." 

* A spacious building for the use of the State Normal School was completed late in 
1885, and the school wius opene<l therein on September 9th, with represt-ntative.s from 
forty-three of the sixty counties of the Slate. During the first term in the new structure 
the attendance in the Xormal I)e|iartnieiil was three hundred and si.xty. 



KEVOLITIONAKV MOVKMEXTS IX CAXADA. 489 

and in otlier parts of the State.'* The Pestalozzian f system had also 
been pretty extensively adopted. In 1S3'2 a now or<>;anization of the 
public schools was effected, and these two i^rafts from foreit^n systems 
were pruned away. The schools in the city were placed upon a per- 
fectly free basis, and were graded in 183-i. The six schools for colored 
children were transferred to the I'uldic School Society (the formation of 
which has already been noticed), and ])hu'ed on an equality witli the 
other s(!h<)ols. 

Toward the close of ls3Ta popular outbreak occurred in the neighbor- 
ing Erirish provinces of Tpjior and Lower Canada, which caused intense 
excitement among the ])eople of the Tiortliern portions of New York. 
Their sympathies with the insurgents were aroused, and citizens of the 
State engaged in an uidawful invasion of the territory of a friendly 
neighbor. 

There had been popular discontent in these provinces for some time. 
It finally assumed the aggressive form of a concerted attempt in hotii 
territories to cast off dependence upon (Treat I>i'itain. The chief leaders 
in this movement were WiUiam Lyon .Mclvenzie, in Upper Cimada, and 
Joseph I'apineau, in Lower Canada. Mclvenzie was a Scotchman, a 
journalist of rare ability, and a restless political agitator. Papineau, of 
French descent, was an extensive land-owner in the Lower Province, of 
cool judgment, and very influential among the French iiduxbitants in 
that region. Both leaders were republicans in sentiment. 

This movement was regarded as patriotic by the Americans, and the 
active sympathy of the New Yorkers along the frontier was evoked. 
At the middle of December (1837) nearly a thousand New York volun- 
teers, with provisions and twenty pieces of artillery, seized Navy Island, 
in the Niagara River, two miles above the falls. There they were joined 
by Mclvenzie, who was already a fugitive. They employed a small 

* It was so called aflcr .Inscpli [.aiirastcr, a iiK'iuIx'r of the Society of Frieiuls, or 
Quakers, who at the l)ejciuuiii,i,' of the century iiilroihiced into the schools in England the 
monitorial system, which consisted of the emiiloynient of monitors, so called, composed 
of some of the briirli test boys and girls in scliool, who each had charge of the diseipline and 
tuition of a section of llu? school. They enforced discipline by watchfulness and promjit 
reporting to the teacher. The system was designed to carry on the imblic teaching of 
children in the most economical way. By this means a teacher couhl manage a school 
of three or four hundred children. But this system of cs])ionage was mi.schievous. 

f The Pestalozzian system originated with .John Pestalo/.zi. a Swiss teacher and 
reformer, and was designed to educate infant pupils by a combination of industrial, 
entertaining, intellectual, and moral instruction, without the use of books aii<I by oral 
and object teaching entirely— llie fundamental basis of the kindergarten .system of 
Froebel. It was put in practice first in New York by the Infant School Society, founded 
by Mrs. Divic Bethune and others, in 1H28. 



I'.IU Tin: K.Ml'lKK STATE. 

steamboat named tlie Varolhw as a ferry-vessel hetween tlie New York 
shore and the ishiud. On a dark night at the close of December, while 
persons on board of her were asleep, a party of armed Canadian loyalists 
from Chippewa seized her, killed some of her people, cut her loose from 
her moorings, set her on fire, and allowed lies' to go blazing down the 
fearful rapids and over the crown of the mighty cataract into the seetliing 
gulf below. It is believed that some persons were alive on board and 
piM'islii'il with the vessel. 

McKenzie, whose rashness imperilled tli(! cause at the outset, fled to 
New York. The (lovi^rnor of Caniula made rei{nisitii>u upon (rDverimr 
l\lar(!y fur the surrender of the arch-agitator, llarcy declined to do so, 
for McKenzie's ull'eiice wa.^ poJii'n'nl , not criiiiinal, and he was seeking 
an asylum ou neutral tcrritctry. 

jreanwhile all along the New York frontier, from Cape Vincent to 
Rouse's Point at the foot of Lake (Jhamplain, American synn)athizers 
continued to cross into Canada and join the insurgents. At Clayton, on 
the New York shore of the St. Lawrence, lived William Johnston, a 
bold Hritish subject, who was appointed commodore of the naval force 
of the insurgents by their authority.* lie kept up an am])]iibious war- 
fare among the Thousand Islands, and others on the Canada shore kept 
the frontier in continual excitement for months. At length the Presi- 
dent of tlie United States (Van liuren) issued a proclamation forbidding 
American citizens engaging in the insurrectionary mc^vemeiit. General 
Scott was sent to Northern New York to preserve order. Governor 

* Williinii .loliiistoii was born at Tlirco Hivcrs, Ciinaihi. in February, 1TH"2. His father 
wivs an Irislimaii, and a Dulcli girl from New Jersey was his iiiollicr. He Wius living at 
Clayton (French Creek), on the St. Lawrence, wlien tlu^ insurrection brolie out. Cor- 
dially haling the British Government and its employes, and fond of advei;turc. he was 
easily persua<led to join in llie strife. Ho was bold and courageous. The " Patriots" 
commissioned liim " eoniniddore" and commander-in-chief of llie navy on the lake, 
among the Thousand Islands. an<l on the bt. I.awienee Hivcr. .^fter he had burned a 
IJrItlsh steamboat and conunitted other excesses, a reward for his apprehension wasolTered 
by lidlh governments, and for a long time he was a fugitive, hiding .-unong the islands 
and supplied with food l)y his charming daughter, a girl of eighteen years, who was 
e.vperl in tlie management of a boat. He linally gave himself ui> to the American author- 
ities. He wius sentenced to one year's imprisonment and a fine, and w.-is confined in jail 
at Albany, where liis daughler joined him to solace him in his .solitude. They manag<-<l 
to escape, and Johnston was unmolested. WIkii I visited him in ISISO, at Clayton, he 
was the keeper of a light-house a few miles lielow. His daughter, the " Heroine of the 
Thousand Islands," was then a matron with several chililien, but retaining many traces 
of her former iH'auty. Johnston gave me his photograph ; also his commission from tin- 
(iiand Council, the \Vestern Cana<lian .Vssocialion, the Grand Ea.srle Chapter, and the 
Grand F.agle Chapter of I'pjxr Canada, creating him " Commodore of the Xavy. Com- 
mander-in-Cliief of .all the Xaval Forces of the Canadian Provinces on Patriot service. ' 



DISTUKBAXCE OF INTERNATIONAL AMITV TIIKKATKNEI). 491 

^[arcj also issued a proclamation of the tenor of that of the President. 
The open contest soon ceased, hut for some time secret associations called 
'' Hunters" Lodges" on New York soil kej)t up the excitement. These 
lodges nuiuhered ahout twelve hundred. They were suppressed by 
President Tyler in 184'i. 

Early in Januaiy, 1841, an incident occurred on the Niagara frontier 
which for a moment tlireatened to disturb the existing amity between 
tlie governments of the United States and Great IJritain. Alexander 
^[(•Leod, a resident of Chippewa, l)eing at Lewiston, on the New York 
shore of the river, boasted that lie was a participant in the destruction of 
the steamer Caroline and in the nuu'der of one of her men. He was 
arrested and sent to the Lockport jail. He was indicted for murder, and 
the owner of the vessel instituted a civil suit against him. Mr. Fox, the 
British Minister at Wasliington, demanded of our (rovernment the 
release of McLeod, and avowed and justified tiie destruction of the 
Caroline as an act of his Government. The Secretary of State (Mr. 
Webster) informed J\[r. Fox that it was a State affair, and the National 
Goveriniient had no right to interfere with tlie judicial proceedings of a 
State ; that the matter was before the Supreme Court of New York, and 
tiiat he believed that tribunal would agree with him that the prisoner 
ought to be given up, for he was acting in obedience to orders from a 
superior. That court remanded McLeod for trial before a s])ecial circuit 
court sitting at Utica. After an exciting trial the imiocence of the 
prisoner was proven, he having made the boast in a spirit of bravado 
while intoxicated, lie was acquitted. 

^^artin Van Ihiren was nominated fur the Presidency of the United 
States in 18;5(i. Perceiving the necessity of taking ground against the 
Abolitionists, now organized and aggressive, in order to secure the votes 
of the Siiutheru States, he did so, and was elected, taking his seat as 
Chief Magistrate; in the spring of 1837. Governor ^Farcy also took a 
position antagonistic to the Abolitionists ; and so the Democratic Party 
of the State and n;ition liecame wedded to tin; u[)liiihlers of the system 
of slavery. Tlie nuptials jiroved disastrous to the party. 

Never did aiiv ])olitical party seem to stand on a more secure founda- 
tion than did the Democratic Party in Xew York in the winter of 
lS3(>-37. Alas! before the lapse of a year it was utterly overthrown. 
In the fall the Whigs elected one hundred and one of the one hundred 
and twenty-eight members of the State Assembly, and carried six of the 
eight senatorial districts. The country had been swept by a fearful 
tornado of financial disaster. The baid<s of Xew York were compelled 
to suspend specie payments ; commercial distress was the rule, and the 



492 



TIIK K.Ml'IKi: STATE. 



liuge, liollow credit system fell into ruins. All this Ii;id followed the 

terrii)le tiat of the " Specie Circular"' and cu<;nate instrumentalities. 

The Willi? leaders adroitly charged the jiuhlic calamities to the misrule 

of the Democratic Party. The rank and Hie accepted the solution, 

and the overthrow of Democratic 
domination in Xew York was the 
logical consequence. William 11. 
Seward was elected Governor of 
the State in the fall of ls3s, over 
Governor Marajj by a majority of 
ahout ten thousand.* 

The hnances of the State at this 
juncture were admiral ily managed. 
The l)anks conducted their ])usines3 
with so much prudence that they 
were able to resume specie pay- 
ments in 1S39. A Free Banking 
Law had been enacted in ISJJS on 
the recommendation of Governor 
i\Iarcy. Governor Seward in his 

message in is;j;) s])oke highly of the measure, and he eulogized the 

iinancial position of the State of iS'ew York, saying : 

" History furnishes no jjarallel to the financial achievements of this 

State. It surrendered its share in the national domain, and relinquished 




WII.l.lAM II. sKWAItn. 



* William Henry Seward.was born at Florida, Orange County, N. Y., in 5Iay, 1801 : 
died at Auburn, N. Y., in October, 1872. He was a graduate of Union College, and 
began the practice of law at Auburn in 1823. He .soon acquired a high reputation in his 
profession. He first appeared conspicuous in poHtics as president of a State convention 
of young men who fa\ored the election of John Quiucy Adams to the Presitlencv of the 
United Slates. He was a member of the State Senate, 1830-34, and iK'Came a leader of 
the newly-formed Whig Party. He was elected Governor of Xew York in 1838. and 
again in 1840. For several years he (juietly pursued his lucralive profession. In lS4i) 
he was chosen United States Senator, which position he held until called to the seat of 
Prime ^[inister (Secretary of State) in the Cabinet of President Lincoln in the spring of 
1861. He tilled the olliee with great honor to him.self and (he nation during the trying 
period of the Civil War. He continued in the same ofHcc in the Cabinet of President 
Johnson. Jlr. Seward was regarded for many years as one of the leading and most 
eflieient opposers of the .svstem of slavery. Early in 180.") he was confined to his bed by 
an accident, and on the nighl of the murder of President Lincoln an a.ssassin found hi.s 
way into >lr. Seward's home and attempted to slay him. He never recovered from the 
shock. In the spring of 1809 he retired from publie life. In .Vugust. ISTl. he started 
with .some friends on a lour anmnd the world. He was everywhere received with marks of 
great respect. Mr. Sewaril died at .\uburn. October 10. 1873. One of the most notable 
of his public acts was the iiurehase of Ahuska from Russia for $7,200,000 in gold, in 1867. 



A FUGITIVE-SLAVE CASE. 493 

for the general welfare all the revenues of its foreign commerce, equal 
generally to two thirds of the entire expenditure of the Federal Govern- 
ment. It has, nevertheless, sustained the expenses of its own adminis- 
tration, founded and endowed a broad system of education, cliaritable 
institutions for every class of the unfortunate, and a penitentiary estal)- 
lishment wliich is adopted as a model l)y civilized nations. It has 
increased fourfold the wealth of its citizens, and relieved them from 
direct taxation ; and in addition to all this has carried forward a stupen- 
dous enterprise of improvement, all the while diminishing its debts, 
magnifying its credit, and augmenting its resources." * 

Governor Seward recommended tlie Legislature (IS-iO) to provide for 
the speedy completion of the enlargement of the Erie Canal, but told 
them frankly that the cost, which the State officers had estimated at 
$12,000, ooo, would l)e at least §2:3,0()0,()()(>— possibly §2.5,000,000. lie 
also iirged the construction of the Genesee Valley and Black River 
canals, which would recpiire an expenditure of §6,000,000. In the same 
message he invited the attention of the Legislature to the fact that he 
had received from the Governor of Virginia a demand for the return of 
three colored " fugitives from justice," charged w'itli stealing a negro- 
slave. Governor Seward refused compliance on tlie ground that such 
alleged felony was not recognized as such liy the laws of civilized nations 
or those of the State of New York.f This w-as Mr. Seward's lirst official 
encounter with the slave power. 

* Tlie Statu of New York has the lienor of liavhii^ -svithiii its borders the first passenger 
railway built in the United States, The first railway charter granted in America was 
given b}- the Legislature of New York, in 1820, to the Mohawk and Hudson Kailway 
Company. Their road e.vtended from Albany to Schenectady, a distance of about fifteen 
miles, and was completed in the fall of 1831. 

•|- The Governor of Virginia in his next annual message referred the matter to the 
Legislature of his State, and haughtily declared that if the construction of the Constitution 
of the United States by the Governor of New York should be allowed to i)revail, and no 
relief could be obtained against a " flagrant violation of the rights of Virginia" to re<-laim 
lier fugitive slave, it would be proper for her " to appeal from the cancelled obligations 
of the national compact to original rights ;" in other words, to secede from the Union. 

The matter did not end here. The Virginia governor entered upon the work of retalia- 
tion. A citizen of New York charged with the crime of forgery fled to Virginia. Gov- 
ernor Seward forwarded a rcciuisition for him to be surrendered as a fugitive from justice. 
The Governor of Virginia refused compliance, and kept the prisoner in jail a long time 
waiting for the Governor of New Y'ork to give up the three colored A'irginia fugitives. 
Tlus unjustifiable conduct on the part of the governor was disclaimed by the Virginia 
Legislature. The Legislature of New York adopt('d a joint resolution sustaining the 
claim of the Governor of Virginia for the three fugitives, and dir<>ctcd Governor Seward 
to transmit the resolution to tlu; executive of Virginia. He declined to do so, and sug- 
gested the employment of some other agent than himself to perform that task. Here the 
matter was dropped. 



404 TIIK K.MI'IUi: STATE. 

The Wliij;: Party liad now the entire political control of the State of 
Kew York, ami the result of the jjresidential election that year (lS4n) 
gave them the political control of the nation for a while. In New York 
Governor Seward was re-elected, and the AVhig candidate for the presi- 
dency, (xeneral William Henry Harrison, of ( )hio, was chosen hy a very 
large majority, after an exciting and demoralizing ca!ivass, known in 
political history as " The Hard-Cider Campaign."* 

President \'an Piiren had made himself very unpopular with the 
baid<ing and commercial interests of the country because of iiis successful 
e.\ertions in the establishment of the independent treasury ; also with a 
large portion of the people of the noii-slaveholding States because of his 
alleged subserviency to the Southern slave oligarchy. Harrison took his 
seat on March 4th, 1S41, and died just one month afterward. Then 
Vice-President John Tyler, of Virginia, assumed, by constitutional pro- 
vision, the exalted jjosition of President of the United States. 

x\.t this time the population of New York was about two million five 
hundred thousand. Of this number, it was estimated that about thirty 
thousand children were uneducated, of whom fully one third were of 
foreign parentage. These were destined to become future citizens. In 
view of these facts thoughtful men pondered the matter witii anxiety. 
Governor Seward was keeidy alive to the foreshadowed danger, and in 
his message to the Legislature in 1841 he stronirlv urired that bodv to 
])rovide b^' law for the elementary education of the children of foreigners, 
of whatever nationality or religious belief. He said : 

" I could not enjoy the consciousness of having discharged U)y duty 
if any effort had been omitted which was calculated to bring within the 
schools all who are destined to exercise the rights of citizenship ; nor 
shall I feel that the system is perfect or liberty safe until that object be 
accomplished." 

The wise and cultivated citizen, John C. Spencer,t was then the 



* General Harrison lived in the growing West, and his dwelling had once been a log- 
cabin, at Xortli Bend, Oliio, wliere he exercised great liosjiilality. In the campaign 
referred to his partisans made a log-cabin a symbol of his democracy — a man of the 
people — and a barrel of cider symbolized his hospitalitj'. In hamlet.s, villages, and cities 
log-cabins were built as rallyiug-places for tlie members of the party, and there cider was 
freely given to all. Drinking carousids were tlie results, and the demnrali/ation of young 
men wius fearful. Horace Greeley edited a campaign paper calUvI Tin Ijuj-Cabin, whieli 
became tlie jiredecessor of the Seir York Tribune. 

t John C'anticid Spencer, son of .ludge Ambrose Spencer, was born at Hudson, X. Y., 
in .January. 17S,S ; died in All)any in .May, 18.5.1. He wjus a graduate of Union College ; 
studied law and began its practice at Canandaigua. X. Y., in 18(19. At tlie age of nine- 
teen he had been private secretary of (ioveiiior Tompkins, and was ever afterward prom- 



I^'TEKESTS OF POPULAR EDUCATIOX PROMOTED. 495 

Secretary of State and State Sajjoriiiteiulent of Coininon Schools. He 
was ill full accord with the views of Governor Seward. In response to 
petitions from the city of New York upon this subject, which were 
referred to him, he made an able report, in which lie recommended the 
election of a Board of Commissioners of Common Schools in that citv, 
authorized to establish and organize a system of ward schools, Avhicli 
.should co-operate with those of the Public School Society in furnishino- 
the requisite facilities for the education of all classes of (ihildren. On 
Mr. Spencer's recommendation provision was made for a State I)e])uty 
Superintendent of Common Schools, to which important office S. S. 
Randall, who had been Secretary DI.k's deputy, was appointed. Pro- 
vision was also made for the election of county superintendents through- 
out the State. A liberal appropriation was made for the support of the 
Common ScJiooI Journal, which was devoted to the interests of popular 
education.* 

Out of these and cognate proceedings grew a violent controversy 
which had been begun mildly many years before. Its essence was the 

incut in the pulilic iiffnirs of the State. In 1811 he was appointed master in eliancery, 
and in 1813 judge-advocate in active military service on the frontier. In 1814 lie was 
postma.-iler at Cauaudaigua, and was a.ssistant attoruey-general in 1815. He was a 
member of Congress, 1817-19, and a member of tlie Assembly and its Speaker in 1820. 
He was State Senator, 1824-28, and in 1827 was one of the commissioners to revi.sc the 
statutes of Xew York. He became an anti-Mason, and was a special officer appointed to 
liro.secute the persons connected with the alleged abduction of Morgan. Judge Spencer 
was Secretary of State, 1839-41. He was first made Secretary of War and then Secretary 
of the Treasury in Tyler's Cabinet. Opposed to the annexation of Texiis, he resigned in 
1844 and resumed the practice of law. To Judge Spencer is due, to a great extent, the 
greater improvements in the common-.school .system of the State. He edited the first 
edition of De Tocqueville's Demvcracij in Amcrirn. 

* The apathy of the people concerning popular education in the State of Xew York at 
that time was most remarkable. It was stipulated that one copy of the Common S-/tool 
Journal should ba sent regularly to the clerk of every school district in the State free of 
charge. " It is mortifying and painful to state," says Hammond, in liis Political History 
of JVew Tor/c, vol. iii., p. 22.5, " what the truth of history requires us to record, that it is 
within our personal knowledge that the trustees of many school districts refused to take 
from the post-office this excellent journal, every number of whidi contained nuich 
important and useful information, the cost of which is jiaid from the State Treasury, 
because they were unwiliiiig to pay from the common funds of their respective districts 
the sum of one nhillinrj n year for jx/starje .'" — one cent a month. 

The author of this volume was one of a few citizens of Duche.ss County who, at the 
beginning of 1837. formed a society for " The Improvement of Common Schools and the 
General Diffasion of Knowledge." Many of the best citizens of the county l)ecame 
members of the a.ssociation, and meetings were held by the society at various places in 
the countj- with a hope of exciting public interest in the important subject. Yet such 
was the marvellous apathy of the trtistees of the common schools and of parents iu gen- 
eral, that after a trial of about fifteen months the effort was abandoned as useless. 



49(1 



THK K.Ml'IHK STATE. 




antagonism of religions denominations, some of whicli liad participated 
in the henetits of tlie public money placed nnder the control of the 
Pulilic School Society (which was a close corporation and had supreme 
power in the distribution of the funils intrusted to it by the State), and 
others had been denied sneh participation. The sul)ject was In-ought 
before the J.egislatnre. That body by act transferred the whole matter 

of the ilistribntion of the school 
fund in the city of ^yew York to 
the Common Council, witli full 
powers. 

The trustees of the Iloman Cath- 
olic Free Schools applied to the 
Cnmiiion Council for a separate 
projiortionate share in the distribu- 
tion of the school fund. Their 
schools were nnmerons and were 
lapiilly increasing. The Public 
School Society remonstrated, and 
the chamber of the Common Coun- 
cil became a notable arena for the 
display of argumentative oratory. 
The I'ulilic School Society em- 
ployed some of the best legal talent in tlie city to champion their cause. 
Thev were confronted by the astute Archbisiiop Hughes,* who ajipeared 
iu l)ehalf of the Homau Catholics. 

The controversy became exceedingly hot, ami great public excitement 
jn'evailcd. Tlie (Common Council sustained the Public School Society. 
The Iloman Catholics appealed to the Legislature. On the, recommen- 
dation of Governor Seward that body extended to the wards of the city 

* Archbishop John Hughes, an eminent Roman Catholic prehite, wa.s born in county 
Tyrone. Ireland, in 1797; (lied in Xew York City in .Jamitiry, IHtU. He emi<rrale(l to 
America with his father in 1817 ; received a good ediuatiou at a Uoman Catholic sem- 
inary in Maryland, and remained there as a teacher several years. In 1825 he was 
ordained a priesi, and was settled in Philadelphia. In 1838 he Ix-came coadjutor to 
IJishop Dubois in New York, and on the death of the latter in 1842 he became bishop, 
lie visited Europe in 1839, and in 1841 opened St. John's College at Fordham, which he 
had organized. lie held the first diocesan synod in New York in 1842, where alterations 
were made iu the methods of the administration of churches without trustees. In 1850 
he was created archbi.-ihop. lie held the first provincial council of his Church in New 
York in 1S54. On the breakinv out of the late Civil War .Vrchbishop Iluirhes was sent 
to Euri>pe with the late Tliurlow AVeed on an informal dipliimati<' mission in behalf of 
the I'nited States Government. His health failed soon after his return. He was a 
powerful controversialist, and did nuicli to advance the prosperity of his Church. 



.\KClUiISlI01' HUGHES. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SOCIETY AND THE CATHOLICS. 497 

of Xew York tlie coininon-scliool system wliich luid prevailed for many 
years tliroughuut tlie State. Tlie niaiuigeiiieiit of tlic schools (iiidei>en- 
deiit of tliusu under the control of the Public School Society) was placed 
in the hands of inspectors, trustees, and commissioners elected by the 
people ; and so all schools were allowed to participate in the benetits of 
the public funds according to the number of their scholars ; but such 
participation was prohibited to any school in which any religious sectarian 
doctrine or tenet should l)e taught, inculcated, or practised. 

Both contestants were dissatisfied. The friends of the Public School 
Society regarded the measure as a serious blow to popular education. 
The Roman Catholics considered the exclusion of all religious instruction 
from the schools as most fatal to the moral and religious principles of 
their children, and said : " Our only resource is to establish schools of 
our own." The Public School Society kept up its organization several 
years longer, but, convinced of the superiority of the State system, it 
was dissolved in 1853, and some of its members took seats in the Board 
of Education, whi(!h was organized in 1842. That board has ever since 
had the supreme control of public instruction in the city of New York. 

Under the auspices of the Board of Education a nornud school was 
established in the city of New York in lS(!',t. An elegant, spacious, and 
well-e(]uippud ediKce for its use was completed in 1873, and the school 
was opened in Septeml)er, that year, under the title of " The New \ ork 
Normal College." * Already a State Normal School had been estab- 
lished at Albany (1844), as we have observed, under the control of an 
E.^ecutive Committee comjjosed of the Superintendent of Common 
Schools and four other gentlemen. 

In the fall of 1842 aiiother political revolution in the State of Xew 
York occurred. The AVhig Party was overthrown, and William 
C. Bouck, the Democratic candidate for governor, was elected by about 
twenty-two thousand majority.f The Democrats also elected a large 
majority of the members of both branches of the Legislature. The 
Abolitionists, who were chiefly Whigs, gave to their candidate for gov- 
ernor — AlvjMi Stuart^about seven thousand votes. 

* The Normal College in New York is devoted to tlie trainiiifr of female leailiers. 
All its teachers, outside the faculty, are women. The building, froutiug on Si.My-eighth 
Street, is an elegant one, four stories in height. 

\ William C. Bouck was liorn in Schoharie, N. Y'., in 1786 ; died there in April, 1859. 
In 1812 he was appointed sheriff of Schoharie County. He was a member of the 
Assembly, 1813-15 ; State Senator in 1820, and canal commissioner, 1821-40. From 1843 
to 1845 he was Governor of the State, and in 1846 was a member of the State Constitu- 
tional Convention. From ]S4(> to 1849 he was assistant treasurer in New York City, 
after which he devoted himself to agriculture. 



498 



THE K^IPIRE STATE. 



Governor Bouck took his seat at the i)eginning of 1843. In February 
Silas Wriglit, wlio now ranked among the ablest members of the Senate 
of the United States, was re-ele(^ted to a seat in that body for six years. 
The new State administration was moving on quietly and harmoniously, 
when Colonel Samuel Young, the Secretary of State, created much 
excitement in and out of the Legislature by declining to carry out one 
of its important orders. 

Several years before, the Legislature authorized a geological survey of 
the State under the supervision of competent scientists. It was now 
completed, and their elaborate report, in ten volumes, accompanied by 
numerous illustrations, was submitted to the Legislature. That body 
ordered three tiiousand copies to be printed and deposited witii the 

Secretary of State for distribution 
among the State officers and mem- 
bers of the Legislature. 

In a communication to the Leg- 
islature, in March, tiie Secretary of 
State declined to carry out the pro- 
visions of the act. lie declared it 
to be unconstitutional, because it 
had failed to receive the assent of 
two tliirils of all the members elect- 
ed to each House, as directed by 
the (Constitution. He pointed out, 
with stinging words of censure, 
other violations of the Constitution 
by the Legislature in the creation 
of stocks and the grants of public 
money. He said : 
" i\nilions of outstanding stocks are now impcTuling over the State 
which were (-reated by laws in clear and direct hostility with the ])lain 
provisions of the (Constitution ; null and void in their inception, and 
imposing not even the shadow of a moral obligation for the fulfilment of 
their ostensible demands."' 

These assertions created instant and warm debates in the Legislature 
and alarm among the holders of these securities. That alarm was soon 
quieted by resolutions adopted by the Legislature, declaring that the 
State would sacredly fulfil all its obligations without regard to technical 
informalities. The secretary, however, persisted in refusing to comply 
with the law during his whole official term. 

At this time the State was nnu*h agitated by the presentation of a 




<=^.- 



W^A %////f^ \' 



/ 



WII.T.IAM r. BOUCK. 



AXTI-RKXTISM. 499 

social problem which had been pressing for a solution for some time. It 
was a question of land tenure. 

We have noticed the acquirement of vast tracts of land in New 
Netherland, under tlie Dutch rule, by privileged persons callad patroons. 
After the old war for independence, when the laws of primogeniture 
were abolished, a large pro])oition of the land of the settled ])iirt of the 
State of New York was held by these patroons, and tiic cultivators of 
the estates occupied farms on leases for one or more lives, or from year 
to year, stipulating for the payment of rents, duos, and services, some- 
what after the manner of the old feudal tenures in IlollaTid and England. 
These feudal tenures having also been abolished, the proprietors of 
manor grants contrived a form of deed by which the grantees agreed to 
pay rents and dues almost precisely as before. These temires became 
burdensome and odious to the tillers ; and in 1839 associations of farmers 
were formed for the purpose of devising a scheme of relief from the 
burdens. They were the tenants of J'atroon Van Kensselaer, who had 
just died. 

This movement soon l)ecauie known as " anti-rentisin.'' It speedily 
manifested itself in open resistance to the service of legal processes for the 
collecting of manorial rents. The first overt act of lawlessness that 
attracted public attention was in the town of Grafton, in Rensselaer 
County, where a band of anti-renters killed a man. Yet the criminal 
was never discovered. 

In 1841 and 1842 Governor Seward in In's messages recommended the 
reference of the alleged grievance and matters in dispute on botii sides 
to arbitrators, and appointed three men to investigate and report to the 
Legislature. Nothing was accomjjlished, and the disaffection spread 
and was intensihed. So rampant was tiie insuljordination to law in 
Delaware County that the governor (Silas Wright) in 1845 recommended 
legislation for its suppression,* and declared the county in a state of insur- 
rection. Finally the trial and conviction of a few persons for conspiracy 

* Tlie Loffislature passed an " act to prevent persons appearing disguised and armed." 
It authorized the arrest of all persons wlio appeared having tiieir faces concealed or dis- 
colored, wlio might be punished as vagrants. It authorized sheriffs to call a posse to his 
aid in making arrests. 

At about the same time an Anti-Rent State Convention wa.s held at Berne, in Albany 
County, at which great moiieration was displayed by the chief actors in il. Eleven 
counties and a greater number of associations were represented. They disapproved the 
outrages that had been committed ; appointed a State Central Committee and a committee 
to present petitions to the Legislature. A newspaper called The (hinrdiaii of the Soil, 
devoted to the anti-rent cause, was published at AUiany, and was conducted with much 
ability and prudence. 



iiOO THE EMPIRE STATE. 

uiiil i-t'.sist;int'C' to thu liiws, iiud tlicir cniitiiieinoiit in the State prison, 
oaused ;i cessation of all operations by the masked bands. 

Tiiere was so imicii popular sympathy manifested in behalf of tiie 
anti-renters that the association in 1839 organized a political party favor- 
able to their cause. It succeeded in 1S42, and for several yeai"s after- 
ward, in clectins^ one eighth of the Legislature, who favored anti-rentism ; 
and in the revised Constitution of 184fi a clanse was inserted abolishing 
all feudal tenures and incidents, and forbidding the leasing of agricul- 
tural lands for a longer term than twelve years. 

Tlie Democratic Party triumphed in the State and nation in 1844. 
James K. Polk was elected President of the United States, and Silas 
"Wright was chosen Governor of New York by a majority of more than 
ten tliousand votes over ^Millard Fillmiux'. His majority in New York 
city alone was three thousand three hundred and eighty-six. 

The same year was made memorable by the successful establishment 
of instantaneous eoniMUUiication between distant places by means of the 
electro-magnetic telegraph, to which intelligence and a language had 
recently been given Ijy a citizen of New York — Professor S. F. B. 
Morse. A line of telegraphic communication between Baltimore and 
Washington had just been completed, and the first public message sent 
over it was an announcement from Baltimore of the nomination of Mr. 
Polk for the presidency by the Democratic Convention then in session in 
that city. Other lines were speedily set up, largely through the wonder- 
ful executive al)ility of Henry O'Reilly, of New York, who was the 
editor of the first daily newspaper (at Rochester, N. Y.) established 
between the Hudson River and the Pacific Ocean. 

Governor Wright's administration was a quiet one, disturbed only by 
the anti-rent excitements, which he did much to suppress. These excite- 
ments gradually sulisided, and only in courts of law were the associations 
seen.* 

Governor Wright, like Governors Marcy, Seward, and Bouck, made 
special efforts to increase the efiiciency of the conunon-school system of 
the State. In his first message to the Legislature he said : 

" Our school fund is not instituted to make our children and youth 
either partisans in politics or sectarians in religion, but to give them 
education, intelligence, sound principles, good moral liabits, and a free 
and independent spirit ; in short, to make them American freemen and 

* Stephen van Rensselaer, the eldest son of tlie last patroon, and who inherited the 
estate, sold his interest in the lands of the great manor to a judieious kinsman hy mar- 
riage, who made amicable arrangements with all the tenants for the rent, sale, and pur- 
cliiuse of the fnniis. 



TEXAS, AND WAR WITH MEXICO. 501 

American citizens, and to <|nalifv tlieni to judge and choose for tlieni- 
selves in matters of politics, rclii,non, and ^ovenunotit. . . . No public 
fund of tlie State is so unpretending, yet so all-pervading ; so little seen 
yet so universally felt ; so mild in its exactions, yet so bountiful in its 
benefits ; so little feared or courted, and yet so powerful as this fund for 
the support of common schools. The other funds act upon the secular 
interests of society ; its business, its pleasures, its pride, its passions, its 
vices, its misfortunes. This acts upon its mind and its morals." 

The common-school system of the State of New York is its chief 
glory. The annals of that system form the brightest and most important 
page in the history of the commonwealth. Whoever shall directly or 
indirectly conspire to use it for any other than its high and holy mission, 
to entangle it in the miserable meshes of political strife or the more 
unholy warfare of religious denominationalism, should be regarded by 
every true American citizen as a public enemy, and treated as such. 

It was at about this time that the Democratic Party in the State pre- 
sented two opposing factions, called respectively "Barn-burners" and 
"Hunkers." The former M'ere progressive. They were for reform — 
radicals,' anti-slavery men, and sympathizers with the anti-renters who 
had burned barns ; hence the name given this faction in derision. The 
" Huidvers" were conservatives ; non-progressive, " old fogies." The 
Native American Party, recently organized, was a disturbing element in 
both parties, and being largely composed of former members of the 
Whig Party, it somewhat diminished the political strength of that 
party. 

The Democratic national administration took a bold step in 1845 in 
the interest of the slaveholders, who desired an expansion of the territory 
of the United States on its south-western borders in order to provide 
more ample breathing spacefor their peculiar institution, then threatened 
with suffocation by overcrowding. On that border lay the independent 
State of Texas, which had been wrested from Mexico by filibusters from 
the United States. Its annexation to our republic was determined upon. 
The South, as a unit, favored the measure ; the North generally opposed 
it. President Tyler, who had deserted the party (the Whigs) which had 
elected him, favored the annexation. Texas consented. James K. 
Polk, of Tennessee, Tyler's successor in office, urged it ; and on Jidy 
4th, 1S45, the annexation of Texas was effected. 

Mexico had never acknowledged the independence of Texas. It 
remonstrated in vain against the annexation. The United States sent an 
" Army of Observation" into Texas, on the border of Mexico ; and in 
1846 war between the two countries began. It ensued in the conquest 



502 THE EMPIKE STATE. 

by the United States troops of the Mexican territories of California and 
New Mexico. 

Texas was so large that it was designed to divide it into five slave- 
labor States, and so increase the political power of the Southern oligarchy. 
Happily this scheme was never accomplished. In tlie whole iiii(piitons 
plan of annexation, and the more ini(piitous war that ensued, citizens 
of New York — politicians and volunteer soldiers — bore a conspicuous 
part. 



THIRD REVISION OF THE STATE CONSTITUTION. 503 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

The prescribed time for the consideration of amendments to the State 
Constitution was now at hand. There was a difference of opinion as 
to methods for the aceomphshment of this object. Many preferred 
liaving amendments adopted by tlie Legishxture and afterward sub- 
mitted to the peo|)le for their ratification or rejection. Others preferred 
a convention of delegates chosen by the popular voice to discuss, form, 
and propose amendments to be submitted to the people. 

Governor Wright, who was opposed to a convention, suggested to the 
Legislature of 1845 several amendments, which were submitted to the 
people and approved by them at the general election in the fall. To 
make them a part of the Constitution a vote of two thirds of the 
members of botli houses of the Legislature was required. They failed 
to receive the requisite number of votes. Then a convention was 
authorized. 

An election of delegates was held in April, 1846. In nearly all the 
counties it was made a partisan question, and a majority of the delegates 
chosen were Democrats. They assembled at Albany on June 1st, one 
hundred and twenty-eight in number. Only one of them — General 
James Tallmadge, of Duchess — was in the convention of 1821. 

The convention was organized by the choice of ex-Lientenant-Gov- 
ernor John Tracy for president. Tiiomas Stanbuck and Henry 
W. Strong were appointed secretaries. A committee of seventeen was 
appointed to formulate topics to be considered in the revision. Tliey 
reported eighteen, and these were referred to as nniny standing com- 
mittees. Tliey embraced different and important subjects to be discussed. 

The Executive, Legislative, and Judicial departments were first con- 
sidered. No material alterations were made in the organization of the 
existing Executive Department. In the Legislative Department the 
onlj' essential change was for the election of senators and assemblymen 
by single districts. Tiie power of impeachment of public oflicers was 
vested in the Assembly. The Senate and the judges of the Court of 
Appeals, presided over by the lieutenant-governor, constituted the 
tribunal for the trial of such impeachments. 

The Judiciary Department was reorganized. Its power was greatly- 
increased, while the number of judicial officers was diminished. Cen- 



OU-t 



Tin: I'.Mriiu-: statk. 



truliziition of judicial power was iiholislied, and tlie judges were made 
dependent upon the people directly 1)}' being chosen Ijy tlie voters at 
general elections. -V Court of Appeals was organized, to consist of 
eight judges, four to be elected by the people, the remainder to be 
selected from the class of justices of the Supreme Court liaving tlie 
shortest time to serve. The judges were made removable by a concur- 
rent resolntii)n of both houses of the Legislature. Tribunals of Concill- 
atiiDi were authorized for tlie voluntary settlements of litigated cases. 

Tiie prerogative of appointment to otKce was taiven from the governor 
and Senate and given to the people. Tiiis ciiange gave to the latter, 
acting in tlicir sovereign capacity, tlie vast patronage which liad Ijeeu 
M'ielded by a central power. Some of tlie State officers composed tlie 
commissioners of tlie Land Office and of the Canal Fund, and, with the 
canal commissioners, constituted the CanaJ Board. 

Provision was made for tlie certain payment and total extinction of 

the pul)lic debt (then ai)out 817,UO(J,000) 
within a comparatively sliort and defined 
[)eriod. Tlie power of the Legislature in 
creating State indebtedness without tlie sanc- 
tion of a majority of the people, declared at 
tlie polls at elections, was restricted, and cer- 
tain means were ])rovided for cidarging the 
grand canal and for the completion (jf canals 
already l)egun. 

Tiie banlcing monopoly was abolished liy 
taking from the Legislature tlie power of 
granting special ciiartei's for banking j)urposes. 
Authority was given for the formation of banking and otiier corpora- 
tions nnder general laws, but the Legislature was prohibited from 
sanctioning the sus[)ensioii of specie payments. Bills or notes put into 
circulation by such corporations as money M"ere required to be regis- 
tered, and ample security given for their redemption in specie. 

Provision was made for tlie preservation of the School, Literature, 
and State Deposit funds, and tlie legitimate expenditure of the revenues 
arising from tiiein. Tlie Legislature was also directed to provide for the 
organization of cities and villages, with authority to restrict their powcr.s 
of taxation, assessment. lK)rron'ing money, contracting debts, and loaning 
their credit. 

The tenure of all lands was declared to be allodial. All restrictions 
ii])on alienation were aiiolislied, and tiie lc;ising of agricultural lands for 
a longer term than twelve years was proliibited. 




EXF.CITIVK PlilVY SKAI, 



AX OLIGARdIV DISAPPKAKS. 505 

It was during the sessions of this convention that the first movement 
was made for the establislunent of absohitely free schools tlirougliout the 
State. Tlie subject was introduced by Robert Campbell, of Otsego, on 
June 15th, in tlie form of a resohition. With a memorial on the same 
subject from the State Convention of County Superintendents, it was 
referred to the Committee on Education. On July 22d that committee 
reported to the ^invention a series of resolutions, one of them providing 
for the establishment by the Legislature of a system of free schools, for 
the education of every child in the State between the ages of four and 
sixteen years, whose parents were residents of the State. This resolution 
was adopted on the day before the final adjournment of the convention, 
but, on being reconsidered, was rejected. This desirable measure was 
only postponed for a season. 

The convention adjourned on October ;>th, after a session of about 
four months. Although it was composed of warm partisans, there did 
not appear the shadow of partisanship in the debates. It exhibited to 
tlie world a spectacle never before seen. 

The instrument then adopted became a mighty emancipator of the 
people-a marvellous and puissant supporter of popular liberty and the 
popular will. Before the convention of 1S21 every ofiicer, civil and 
nn-litarv, with a few exceptions, was appointed by a board-the Council 
c,f Appointment-possessed of absolute power within its legitimate 
domain It was composed of only five members, sitting at the State 
caintal At its own sovereign will it played at football with the ..thces 
of trust and emolument in the State, appointing and dismissing in.n.m- 
bents ill obedience to the Ix'hests of partisan or personal favor or dislike, 
or the dictates of self-interest or mere caprice. 

The convention of 1S21 wrested some strength from this tyranmcal 
oligarchy. The convention of ISiG wholly annihilated this terrible 
power, and placed the jnihlic interests under the direct control of the 
people, the true source of all political sovereignty. 

In less than a month after the adjournment of the convention the 
people of the State, at a general election, adopted the revised Const.t^- 
lion bv a majority of about one hundre.l and thirty thousand. At the 
same Section John Young,* the AVi.ig and anti-rent candidate for gov- 

* John ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>^<^>^, Vt., in 1803; died in New York C-Jy^n A^ 
became an Anli-Mason in 1S2!.. a.ul was el(..te.l to Congress by the Whig.. 



500 



TIIK E.MPIJtK STATE. 



ernor, w.xs electod over Governor Wriglit ])y eleven tliousan*! miijority, 
wliilo Addison (iardiner, tlie Duinocratii! canilidate for lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, was elected over Hamilton Fish by about tliirteen thousand 
majority, f )ii tlie elevation of Gardiner to the bench of the Court of 
A])peals Mr. Fish was aj)pointed to till tlie chair of lieutenant-governor. 
Governor Young gave special attention to the suijject of common 
schools. The system of county superintendents had worked admirably, 
but a growing tendency of supervisors to make the appointments to that 
office on political grounds merely, caused widespread dissatisfaction. At 

the special session of the Legisla- 
ture in the fall of 1847 the office 
was abolished and that of town 
superintendent was created. The 
best friends of popular education 
lamented the change. Tlic schools 
steadily retrograded in efficieiKjy. 
Finally, in ISoC, the office of 
school commissioner was created, 
tiiat of town superintendent was 
aliolislied, and that of county 
superintendent was practically re- 
instated. 

The free - school s^-stem was 
thoroughly discussed after the 
adjournment of the convention of 
]8i6, and in the s|)ring of 1849 
an act was passed for the estab- 
lishment of fi'ee schools throughout the State, and the abolition of the 
rate-bill system. Tiie law was ratified by a nuijority of one hundred and 
fifty-eight thousand votes of tlic people, every county in the State but 
four giving majorities for it. Tiie wliole of the expense of the scliools 
beyond tlie State appro]>riatiou was made a tax upon the property of 
each district. This act was sustaiiu'.d l)v a majority of three to one of tlie 
people. At the same session teachers' institutes, which had existed for 
some years as voluntary associations, were legally established. 

Tiie free-scliool system did not work satisfactorily, owing to inequality 
ill the taxation imposed. The peojile murmured. They rcmonstKited, 
and clamored for a repeal of the law. Tiie <pi(^stion was submitted to 




JOHN YOrXG. 



elected Governor of llie Stale by the Wliiirs and Anti-Renters in 1s4T. and in 1849-.'>2 he 
was Assistant United States Treasurer in New York City. 



THE WHIG PARTY IN POWEK. 



507 




HAMILTON FISH. 



them in 1 S50, and tlie law was sustained l)y a diminished majority.* It was 
repealed in the spring of 1851, and the rate-bill system was reinstated. ' 

At the election in the fall of 1848 the Whigs were triumphant in the 
Stiite and in the choice of Presi- 
dent of the United States. Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Fish t was elect- 
ed Governor of New York, and 
General Zaehary Taylor, a brave, 
skilful, successful, and honest 
military leader in the war with 
Mexico, was chosen Chief Magis- 
trate of the republic, with Millard 
Fillmore, of Xew York, as Vice- 
President. Mr. Van Buren ac- 
cepted the nomination for Presi- 
dent from the Free-Soil or anti- 
slavery Democrats, and thus 
diminished the strength of the 
regularly nominated candidate. 
General Lewis Cass. President 
Taylor died in the summer of 1850, 
his official successor. 

The administration of Governor Fish (1849-51) was a very quiet one, 
nothing of sjiecial importance in the history of the State occurring except- 
ing the excitement concerning the repeal of the free-school law. There 

* Tlie vote in favor of the free-school law iu 1849 was 249,873 against 91,951. In 18.50 
it was 209,347 against 184.208. 

f Hamilton Fisli, son of Colonel Nicholas Fish, a distinguished ofliccr of the Revolu- 
tion, wa.s born in Xew York tity in August, 1808. Ho was graduated iit Columbia 
College iu 1827, and was admitted to the bur in 1830. He took an active part in politics 
in early life as a member of the Whig Party, and in 1842 he was elected to a .scat in Con- 
gress. He denounced the principles of the Anti-Reuters, and in 1846 he was defeated by 
them as a candidate for the office of lieutenant-governor of the State. He was after- 
ward chosen to fill that office, and in 1848 was elected Governor of the State by a large 
majority. In 1851 he was chosen United States Senator, and in 1854 he strenuously 
opposed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. He was a most earnest supporter of the 
Government during the late Civil War. President Grant called him to his Cabinet as 
Secretary of State in 1869, and in that capacity he served eight years, retiring to private 
life on the accession of President Hayes. In 1854 he was chosen President-General of the 
Society of the Cincinnati, which office he yet (1887) holds. The next year he was chosen 
President of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati. He has been an active and 
influential member of the Union League Club from its organization, and has long been 
an efficient officer of the New Y'ork Historical Society. Ilis hand and bounty are felt iu 
many benevolent works. 



and Vice-President Fillmore became 



508 



Tin; lO.MPlllE .STATE. 



■\vas a very heated eaiivass of the matter, and at tlie fall election in lS5ii, 
as wo have seen, there was a diminished majority against repeal. The 
rural counties were generally for repeal. Forty-two of the Kfty-nine 
counties of the State gave an aggregate of forty-idne thousand votes for 
repeal, while the seventeen remaining counties, including the city of 
New York, gave an aggregate niajority of seventy-two thousand against 
repeal. New Yorlc City and County alone gave thirty-seven thousand 

eight hundred and twenty-seven 
votes of tiiat majority. 

At tin; full election of 1850 
Washington Hunt,* ("omptrol- 
ler of the State, and a Wliig, 
was elected Governor of New 
York by a small majority over 
Horatio Seymour. The Demo- 
cratic candidate for lieutenant- 
governor, Sandfonl 1-". Clmi-cli, 
was elected. 

The administration of Gov- 
crniir Hunt was also a rjuiet 
one. The most exciting question 
was that of the repeal of the 
free-school law, in the winter 
and spring of 1851. The gov- 
ernor urged upon the Legis- 
lature tlie inipiiitanee of making satisfactory amendments to the law, so 
as to secure its sustentation. Tlie Legislature was beset with petitions 
for its re[)eal, from ta.\i)ayers of the rural districts especially. The 
pressure was so great that tiie law-makers yielded, and repealed the law 
in April. Tlie governor, in a subseijuent message, characterized the 
actions of the people of the State and of the Legislature as a '" temporary 
compromise" between the advanced views of the advocates of free 
schools and the fears and prejudices of a majority of the taxpayers and 




WAS11IN<:T<>X ihxt. 



* W:isliiiii;l(m Hunt wii.s born in Windliani. X. Y., in .Vugust. LSll ; tlied iu New 
York City in tVbniary. 186". He was a<lniittc'(i to tlit" bar at Lockport. N. Y., in 1834 ; 
was appointed tirst judge of Niagara County in 1836, and was elected to a seat in Con- 
gre.ss in 1843, where he served initil 1849 as ehairman of the Committee on Commerce. 
In IS-'jl he wjis Governor of Xew York. He was a Wilis, and in 18.'i4 was one of the 
founders of the Republican Party. He became a leader of the conservative wing. lie 
IM-csided over the convention that nominated Mr. Lincoln for the presidency, but soon 
aflcrward j()ini<l the Democratic Party. In 1864 lie was a delegate to the convention 
thai nominated McClcllaii for President of the United States. 



THE coMMON-srnooi, find and laws. 



509 



inhabitants of the rural districts long accustomed to tlie existing system. 
He said tliat the progress of public opinion iiiiglit be relied ujjon to 
diffuse a more ]il)ural view of tlie relations of the State to its future 
citizens. At that time the capital of the eonuiion-school fund was 
$(1,5O((,0O0, of the revenue of 
which nearly $l,5<iu, 00(1 juid been 
expended during the current year 
(1S51-52) in the payment of 
teacliers'' wages and tlie purchase 
of scliool libraries. The number 
of pupils in attendance upon tlie 
several public sciiools was 726,000. 
The Legislature in 1852 authorized 
the governor to appoint a special 
commission for the revision and 
codification of the scliool laws of 
the State. For this task S. S. :■ 
Randall, Deputy Superintendent 
of Common Schools, was appoint- 
ed. 

Again the Democratic Party in 
the State and nation acquired 
political ascendancy. In the fall 
of 1852 Horatio Seymour* was elected Governor of the State of !New 
York, and General Franklin Pierce, of New HaTnpshire, was chosen 
President of the United States by a large majority over General Winfield 
Scott, the Whiar candidate. 




'1' 



IIOHATIO SKVMOIU, 



* Horatio Seymour was one of the most notable of the later governors of New York. 
He was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., in Mav, 1816, and went to Utica with Iiis 
parents in early childhood. He was educated for a lawyer, but, inlieriting a large estate 
frnni his father, he devoted his time to the care of it. Very studious, he acciuired much 
and varied knowledge, which he used with skill. Becoming attaelied to the staff of 
G(i\-erii(ii- .Marey in young manhood, on which he served six vears, lie became en;imored 
with public life. In 1841 he was elected a member of Assembly by tlie Democratic Parly, 
and held tlie ivisitiou four j-ears. He was ehosen Speaker in 184:5. He had been elected 
Mayor of Uliea in 1842. In IS'yZ he was elected Governor of the State. By vetoing a 
lirohibitory liquor bill in 1854 he incurred the displeasure of the .idvocates of temperance, 
and he was defeated as a candidate for re-election. Mr. Seymour was again elected 
governor in 1862, in the midst of the Civil War, and he gave liis support to the Govern- 
ment, though not very cordially. He was defeated in the fall of 18(i4. In 1888 lie was 
nominated for the presidency, but failed to be elected. He then retired to private life, 
but keeping a lively interest in all passing events until his death at Utica in February, 
1886. 



510 



Tin: E.Ml'IKK STATE. 



The adiiiinistratioii of Governor Scyiiiour was also a quiet one, yet 
important measures were adopted. In his first message (LS53) he 
urgently reeommended provision to be made for the speedy completion 
of the canals, and the establishment of a State agricultural college and 
experiment;d farm. A charter for such an institution avus granted that 
sjiring. 

At a special session convened immediately after the adjournment of 
the regular session in 1853, an act was passed for the consolidation of 
the ward and Piiljlic School Society's schools in the city of ^'ew York, 
and placing them umUu- the supreme control of a Board of Education, as 
we have already observed. At that time there were two hundred and 

twenty-four of these schools in the 
city, with about l(i(i(i teachers and 
123,r)3n pupils on register; also 2.5 
evening schools, M'ith 40(1(1 pupils. 

In the spring of 1854 the Legislature 
created the office of State superintend- 
ent of public instruction. The tirst 
incumbent of this office was Victor M. 
Ilice. The superintendent is made, ex- 
officio, a regent of the University. At 
that session an amendment to the Con- 
stitution proposed the preceding year 
was ratified, requiring an amiual ap- 
jiropriatldU of a sum not e.\eee<ling 
$2,25n,0()<i for the conqjletioii of the 
canals. \n act for that puri)ose was 
passed. The Whigs gained ascendancy in the State in the fall of 1S54-. 
Governor Seymour had lost the favor of the friends of temperance by 
vetoing an act ])assed by a large majority of the Legisl.-iture which 
aimed to prohibit the sale of intoxicating drinks. lie pronounced it 
" unconstitutional, unjust, and oppressive," and declared his belief 
that intemperance could not l^e extirpated by prohibitory laws. The 
press and the pulpit denounced his action. He was a candidate for 
re-election in the fall. The Whigs were not represented in the canvass. 
A fusion convention, which met at Syracuse, nominated for governor 
Myron II. Clark,* of Ontario, a stanch advocate of prohibitory liquor 




SE.VT, OF THE DF-PAHTMENT OK Plli 
l.IC IXSTIU'CTION. 



* Myron ITallcy Clark wa.s horn in Naples, Ontario County, X. Y., Ootobor 23il, 
1806, and has been a resident of that connly ever since. His father, .Joseph Clark, was a 
native of Cuninirton, Berkshire Comity, Ma.ss. ; his frrandfatliers were natives of Con- 
necticut. He attended the eonunon schools of his native town three winter months each 



FORMATION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. 



oil 



laws, and he was elected over both Seyiiiour and Daniel Ullinan, the 
candidate of the Native American Party. There was a Whig majority 
in both branches of the Legislature. 

During that year a new national party was formed, and grew vigor- 
ously. It was composed largely of progressive and independent Whio-g 
and many Democrats. It is claimed that Jackson, Mich., was the place of 
its nativity, and July 0th, 1854, the 
time of its birth, when a political 
convention was held at that place 
pursuant to a call signed by more 
than ten thousand names. The 
chief planks in the platform con- 
structed by the convention were 
opposition to the extension of 
slavery and its al)olition in the 
District of Columbia. The name 
of " Republican " was given to 
the new party. 

Two years later tlie Republican 
Party was thoroughly organized 
and strong in numbers. They 
nominated Colonel J. C. Fremont 
for President of the United States 
in l.S5(i. lie was defeated by 

liis Democratic competitor, James Buchanan. Fremont received one 
hundred and fourteen of the two hundred and eighty-eight electoral 
votes cast. At tlie next presidential election (iSG(t) the Republican 
candidate, Abraham Lincoln, was elected by a majority of fifty-seven of 
the electoral votes over three other candidates — Breckinridge, Douglas, 
and Bell. It was the final political triumph of the anti-slavery men 




MYHOX n. CLARK. 



year, and worked on his father's farm the remainder of the year until lie wa.s eighteen 
years of age, when he became a merchant's clerk in his town. At the age of twenty-one 
lie became a clerk in Canandaigua. Two years later he returned to Naples and engaged 
in mercantile business on his own account witli partners, and married in 18ii0. In 1837 
lie was elected sheriff of the county, and made Canandaigua his residence, where he still 
resides. At the close of his term of office he again engaged in trade. In 1851 Mr. Clark 
w.'"' "lected State Senator, where he was distinguished for his advocacy of legislative 
enactments in linor of temperance. He was chairman of the committee that reported the 
"Bill for the Suppression of Intemperance," which, as we have observed. Governor 
Seymour vetoed. Senator Clark was the leader of the debates on tlie subject. He had 
served only one half of a second term in the Senate when he was elected Governor of the 
State, in 1854. He was appointed United States Collector of Internal Revenue in 1863. 



51-^ THE EMIMUE STATE. 

ami women of tlio Union. an<l li'il to tliu speedy cnianclpatioii of tlie 
slaves in every i)avt of tlie lie[)ulilic. 

After ^Ir. Lincoln's iiianj^uration, in the spring of l^'U, the Tlepnli- 
lican Party retained its domination of the National (iovermnent for 
abont a quarter of a century, and heeaine a great liistoric party. ]\Iean- 
wliilc, as usual, Xew "\ ork was an " uncertain" State in |>olitical calcu- 
lations, for its political aspect frequently changed, tlie Ifepublican and 
Democratic parties alternately holding the reins of power. 

Governor Clark, in his first message to the Legislature (1855), called 
their attention to a pending controversy with the State authorities of 
Virginia concerning the force and operations of tlie infamous Fugitive 
Slave Law passed hy Congre.ss in 1850, wiiicli made every citizen a slave- 
catcher.* Its practical operations aroused the slunihering con.scieiice of 
the people of the free-labor States and their intelligence to the danger 
foreshadowed by the increasing aggressiveness of the upholders of the 
slave system ; and several of these States passed "Personal Liberty" 
bills in opposition to the obnoxious law. 

The State of Xew York had statutory laws already wliicli met the ca-^e, 
and when, late in 1852, Jonathan Lemon, of Xorfolk, \a., brouglit 
eight slaves to Xew York City for resliipment to Texas, they were taken 
before Judge Paine, of tiie Sujicrior (Jourt, on a writ of Iiahcax rorpiin 
to claim their riglit to freedom undei- the provisions of a law of the State 
which declared that every slave should be free on touching its soil when 
brought thither by his or her alleged owner. The judge set them free, 
and they tied to Canada. The ca.se was lirought Ijefore the Supreme 
Court of the United States, which sustained Judge Paine's decision. 

This case produced very great excitement in the slave-labor States, 
and was tlie beginning of the preliminary skirmishes l)etween the friends 
of freedom and of slavery which immediately preceded the civil war 
kindled in 1801 by the slaveocraey for the perpetuation and nationalizing 
of the system of hopeless bondage for the African race in the United 
States. f Some of the most violent of these skirmishes, resulting soiiie- 

* Tlie law provided tliiit the master of a fugitive slave or his ajent mislit jro into any 
State or Territory, and witli or without Icjral warrant tliere obtained seize sueh fujritiv.- 
and take liim before any judije or eommissioner, declare that the fugitive " owed lalH>r" 
to the parly who arrested him. when it was the duty of the judge to use the power of his 
otlice to take the alleged fugitive hack to bondage. In ii'> nisf n/iniild t/ie tislijii'iiii/ nf 
xurh alkged fiir/itiri' Ik' luhiiittcil in eridenrf. It further provided that no impediment 
.should be put in the way of the slave-catcher by any process of law or otherwise, and any 
citizen might be compelled to imm'st in the eaptiire and rendition of the dure. 

f Threat-s of disunion freely uttered in 1850 to accelerate the pa.s.sage of the Fugitive 
Slave Law were now heard echoing from Stale to Slate in the South. The Governor of 



COKSCIENCE AND .MAMMON. 



513 



times ill bloodshed, occnri'ed in tlic then recently organized Territory of 
Kansas. 

The decision of Judge Paine was foUowed by the flight of slaves from 
tiondage, through INew York and Ohio, to Canada. They were secretly 
aided iu their exodus by the friends of freedom in ^'e\v York City. 
The process was known as the " I'nderground Railroad," of which New 
York was the principal .station. The consequence was Southern dealers 
became suspicious of Xew York 
merchants, and began to withdraw 
their trade. The effect was very 
demoralizing. ^lany merchants 
engaged in the Southern trade be- 
came obedient slaves of Mammon 
and the Southern oligarchy at the 
.saeritice of self-respect. " I am 
ashamed to own,"' said one of these 
merchants to me, '' tlmt when ovir 
Soutliern customers were in town, 
I felt compelled to order my clerks 
not to let the Trlhune be seen in 
the store, for it would not do to 
let such customers know that I gave 
any countenance to that abolition 

, ' ' II .1 , , , ,. .Tl>IIX A. KINO. 

sheet. I'rom the bottom or my 
heart I despised myself."' 

Little of special importance in the history of New York occurred 
between the administration of Governor Clark and the kindling of the 
Civil War in 1861, when the State put forth its giant strength in defence 
of the life of the imperilled nation. Then the city of New York, so 
conservative before that crisis, became the foremost city in the republic 
in su])port of the National Government. 

Jnlui A. Kinsi; * succeeded Mr. Clark as governor in 1857. His 




Virginia declared that if tlie decision of Judge Paine should he suslained all coniily 
belween the States would be destroyed, and the value of "slave property" he greatly 
diminished. Governor Howell Cobb, of Georgia, who, as Secretary of the United States 
Treasury in the Cabinet of President Buchanan, conspired to destroy the republic, 
declared that it was a sufflcieiit cau.se for making war on the Union. 

* John Alsop King, son of Hon. Rufus King, was born in the city of Xew York 
January 3d, 1788. He accompanied his father— who was Minister at the court of St. 
James— to England, and while there attended the famous school at Harrow. .Among Iiis 
fellow-pupils were his brother Charles, late President of Columbia College, Lord Byron, 
and Robert Peel. On his return home he studied law and was admitted to the bar. Iu 



514 



Tin; KMl'IKK STATE. 




aclniinistnitioii was quiet and uiievuntfiil. lie reeoiiiinonded a judicious 
revision of tlie excise laws, and submitted to the Legislature a proposed 

eonstitutioiud anicudnient extend- 
ing the right of suffrage to col- 
ored \'otei's •without a propcity 
qualificiition ; also a strenuous 
resistance on the ])art of the 
Legislature to the furtliei' exten- 
sion of slavery in the Territoi'ies. 
In the autumn of 1S5.S Ed- 
win 1). .Moi'gan," a ilisfinguished 
merchant of ^«ew \ oi'k City, 
was elected hy the Republicans 
Governor of the State by a ma- 
jority of aliout seventeen thou- 
sand. It was during his adminis- 
tration that the tierce Civil War 
in the nation was begun. 

Kational alTairs had now begun 
to attract unusual attention, and there was widespread uneasiness in the 
pui)lic nn"nd. The shivery <|uestion had been brought conspicuously to 
the front in the arena of pul)lic discussion by the virtual repeal of the 

tlie War of 1812-1.') he served u-s lieutenant of a troop of Iiorse, and continued in the 
service unlil tlie close of llie contest, after wliieli he look up his residence at .Jamaica, 
Long Island, and there passed the remainder of liis life in the business of airrieulture. 
Si.v times Mr. King represented Queens County in the Assembly, and once in the Senate 
of liis native State. In 182.J he was Secretary of Legation to Great Britain under his 
father. He represented his district in Ilie Congress of the L'niled States in 1849-.51, and 
was verj' active in opjiositiou to the compromise measures of the so-called " Omnibus 
Bill " of IS.W, especially that of tlie l-'ugitive Slave Hill. He warmly advocated the 
admission of California as a frec-Iabo. Slate. 3Ir. King was an active member of the 
■\Vliig Parly, and in the organization of the Hepublican Party in 18."i4. In 18.')(i he was 
elected the first Hepublican Governor of Xew York, and w.-is an earnest promoter of the 
canal .system of the State. Governor Morgan appoinled him a delegate to the notable 
Peace Congress at Washington early in 1861. He took his seat therein, and this was his 
last public net. On July 4th, 1807. he was addressing the young men of Jamaica, who 
bad just raised a new flag, and as he uttered the words, " Life is all before you, but men 
like me are passing away," he was suddenly smitten \vitli paralysis, and died three days 
afterward, m the eightieth year of liis age. 

* Edwin Deniiisoii Morgan was born in AVashingtoii. Mass., in February. 1811. With 
a grocer in Hartford, Conn., lie was first a cUrk (I8','S), and in 18:il a partner in busine.s.<. 
He removed to Xew York in ls:i(), where he ]iursiicd the .sime business successfully, and 
accuinulate<l a large fortune. From 1H4!I to 18.")3 he was Slate Senator, and was made 
chairman of the State Hiiiublicaii Comiiiittee. In 18.")!) lie look his seat as Governor of 
Xew York, and retained it until 18U3, being one of the most active of the famous " war 



THE .lOIIX 15ROWX UAIT). 515 

Missouri Compromise, in 1S54-, and tlie violent stiMifjijle for tiie mastery 
in Kansas between the defenders and opposers of the slave system. 
Threats of disunion flew tliick and fast from tlie lips of Southern 
political leaders, and the ominous mutteringsof a gathering tempest were 
heard. 

During the summer and early autumn of 1859 an unusual quiet seemed 
to pervade the political atmosphere. The violent agitation of the slavery 
question had almost ceased, and it was hoped liy many that permanent 
public repose was nigh, when sudderdy, in October, news flashed over 
the laud that " an insurrection has broken out at TIarper's Ferry, where 
an armed band of Abolitionists have full possession of the (Tovernmcnt 
Arsenal."" This was the famous " John Brown raid," which kindled a 
blaze of intense excitement in the slave-labor States, and which was 
fanned into the fearful conflagration of a four-years' civil war of unpar- 
alleled extent and dcstructiveness. 

The events of the year 18(50 rank among the most nmmentou.s in the 
history of our republic. In these events every State in the Union was a 
participant in feeling and interest. John Brown had been hanged for 
his foolish but philanthropic attempt to inaugurate a servile insurrection 
in favor of liberty in Yirginia. The bitterness it engendered was nursed 
into the most intense implacability. The Republican Party was wrong- 
full}' charged with having originated and promoted John Brown's 
attenqit to liberate the slaves ; and in the canvass for the Presidency of 
the republic in 1800 the zeal displayed by the opposing parties was unex- 
ampled in warmth and persistence. 

For uuuiy years a conspiracy for destroying the Union and establishing 
an enquire, the corner-stone of which should be the system of human 
slavery, had been ripening in secret among leading politicians of the 
slave-labor States. The}* had clearly ]ierceived that the " peculiar 
institution" and the domination of the National (iovernment by the 
Southern oligarchy was foredoomed, by the power of public opinion, to a 
speedy close. They madly believed that in the crisis at band was their 
golden opiiortuiuty to carry out their designs. They proceeded to " Are 
the Southern heart" by declaring that the success of the Ile|)ublican 
Party in the jiending presidential election would result in the ruin of the 

governors" of that period. Stimulated by liis zeal, liis State Legislature voted men and 
money lavislily in support of tlie imperilled National Government. In 18G1 he wasereateil 
major-general of \oluntiers, but resijrned in 1863. At about that time he was ehosen to 
represent New York in the United States Senate. Governor Morgan was distinguished 
for his untiring zeal in pliilanthropie work and the promotion of Christian institutions. 
For these objects his gifts were nuniilicent. lie died on February Htli, 1883. 



510 TIIK KMI'lIti: STATE. 

Southern States if acquiesced in, and tliat it would aiTord ample warrant 
for the secession of the slave-labor States from the Union, and the fr)rma- 
tion of an independent <rovernment. 

To this end the few conspirators worked. Thoy cast into the Demo- 
cratic national nominating convention at Charleston in 1800 an apple of 
discord which (taused a disruption of the party and gave strength to the 
Kopnblicans, who nonnnateil Abraham Lincoln, an avowed anti-slavery 
man, for the presidency of the republic. This tlie unwise conspirators, 
*' deprived of reason,"' believed to be a sure prophecy of their triunij)]! 
and a golden oppoi-tniuty. They sent out tlieir emissaries to " lire the 
Southern heart" by inthimmatory harangues ; aiul so well diil they suc- 
ceed that when it was known that Mr. Lincoln was elected, a larger pro- 
portion of the people in the slavedabor States, deceived by sophistry, 
misled by false statements, and benumbed by undefinable dread, were 
ready to submit passively to the will of these fiery politicians, who got 
np congenial conventions that passed ordinances of secession, which they 
never did (for they never dared), to ask the people to consider and act 
upon. 

South Carolina, in M-hich the serpent of secession was hatched from 
the egg of Nullitication, was the first to "secede" — on paper — on 
Decendjer 2i>th, ISOli, and having announced its " sovereignty," pro- 
ceeded to make war upon the '' foreign" Government of the United 
States. That (Jovernment, ])aralyzed by fear or something more serious, 
acted so feebly at lirst against rampant disloyalty in its very presence, 
and widespread treason, that conventions in State after State passed 
ordinances of secession, and made Avar upon the National Government in 
various forms, with impunity. The representatives of European mon- 
archies at Washington sent home the tidings pleasing to the ears of the 
enemies of self-government, that the days of the great republic of the 
West were numbered. " The wish was father to tlie thought." 

It is not the province of this work to give more than passing allusions 
to the history of the Civil War. Its (du'ef task is to give a compendious 
narrative of the most important actions of the State of New York during 
that fearful struggle. 



TOKENS OF AX APPKOACITIXG TEMPKST. 517 



CHAPTER XXX \^ 1 1. 

At the beginning of the Civil "War in 1S61 — the great crisis in onr 
national history— the conunonwealtii of New York was, indeed, the 
"Empire State" of the republic. Its population then was 3,S>S2,000. 
Its taxable property was assessed at $1,425,000,000. Its chief city, by 
the sea, contained a cosmopolitan population of more than 800,000. 
The foreign commerce within its revenue district, exports and imports, 
amounted in value to $375,000,000 in 1S60. This population, wealth, 
and commerce fairly entitled New York to the honor of being the 
national metropolis. 

New York City then (as now) was an eminently commercial mart. 
The influence of trade fashioned its general policy in a remarkable 
degree. 

The best condition for commerce is peace. AVhen the storm-clouds of 
civil war, though no "bigger than a man's hand," began to appear at 
the close of ISOO, the business liien of the city were ready to make enor- 
mous sacrifices of sentiment and pride for the preservation of peace. 
Hence, as we have observed, the citizens of New York were very con- 
servative at the beginning of the trouble. They watched the approach- 
ing tempest as it gathered energy with mingled incredulity and uneasi- 
ness ; and they anxiously observed the faint-heartedness or indifference 
of the National Government at that time of peril, with gloomy fore- 
bodings. Treason was then rampant and defiant at the national capital, 
and sapjjers and miners were working secretly and openly for the destruc- 
tion of the great temple of liberty in the West. At that hour of greatest 
despondency, the trumpet voice of the newly-appointed Secretary of the 
Treasury (John A. Dix, of New York) rang throughout the nation, say- 
ing to an officer of the revenue service at New Orleans, "If any one 
attemjyts to haul doivn the American flag, shoot him- on the spot .'" That 
utterance was hailed by the loyal people of the land with hope and joy 
as a sure prophecy of salvation for the republic. 

Tiie Legislature of N"cw York was then eminently loyal. There were 
thirty-eigiit Repulilicans and nine Democrats in the Senate, and ninety- 
eight Republicans and thirty-five Democrats in the Assembly. When 
that I)ody asseml)led on January 2d, I'^fil, the whole country was in a 
fever of intense e.xcitement. The message of Governor Morgan to the 



518 THE EMPIRE STATE, 

Legislature was calm, digiiiried, conservative, and even cold in compari- 
son witli the fervor of tiie pulilic mind. In conciliatory tones he urged 



r?? 





ik^'^^^ ^^U/i^ ^cunt^ 




^» 








aiay(}f^xJhu^ ^^^^^^2^^- 




^ii^cy^i^I^^ — i 




./r\ 



^^^ Jl^^'^^Yr 



FAC-SIMII.E OK UlxV OUDKli. 



tlie duty of all legislators to act with moderation. Reflecting the senti- 
ments of capitalists and business men specially, he said : 

" Let New York set an example in this respect ; let her oppose no 



PATKIOTIi^.M OF THK NEW YUKK LEUISLATIUE. 519 

barrier [to conciliation], Init let her representatives in Congress ^ive 
ready support to any just and lionorahlo settlement ; let her staiid in 
hostility to none, but extend the hand of friendship to all. Live up to 
the strict letter of the Constitution, and cordially unite with other 
members of the Confederacy in proclaiming and enforcing a determina- 
tion that the Constitution shall be lionored and the Union of tlie States 
be preserved." 

The governor even recommended the repeal of the statute which gave 
liberty to every slave whose feet should tread the soil of New York, and 
recommended other States to repeal their '• Personal Liberty acts." 
There was naturally an earnest desire for peace, for war implied the 
cancelment of millions of dollars of debt due New York merchants i)y 
Southern customers. 

The views of the Legislature were not in consonance with those of the 
governor. That body was more disposed to be defiant and uncompro- 
nn'sing, especially when news arrived of the overt act of armed rebellion 
by South Carolinians in Charleston Harbor in tiring upon the tStar of 
the West when she entered those waters laden with supplies for the 
imperilled garrison in Fort Sumter. That act called out a patriotic 
message from President Buchanan, and the Legislature of New York 
spoke out in tones not to l)e misunderstood (January 11th, ISfil), saying : 

'■'■Resolved, That the Legislature of New York is profoundly impressed 
with the value of the Union, and determined to jireserve it unimpaired ; 
that it greets with joy the recent firm, dignified, and i)atri()tic special 
message of the President of the United States ; and we tender him, 
througli the chief magistrate of our State, whatever aid in men and 
money may be required to enable him to enforce the laws and uphold 
the authority of the Federal Govermnent ; and that, in defence of the 
Union, which has conferred prosperity and happiness upon tlie American 
people, renewing the pledge given and redeemed by our fathers, we are 
ready to devote our fortunes, our lives, and our sacred honor." 

This patriotic proclamation by the representatives of the people of 
New York was in vivid contrast with the utterances of the disloyal 
Mayor of New York City (Fernando AVood) a few days before. He was 
in sympathy with the movements of the secessionists ; and in a message 
to the CoTumon Council (January 7th, ISGl") he advocated the secession 
of the city from the State. 

"Why should not New York City," he said, '• instead of supporting 
by her ccmtributions in revenue two thirds of the expenses of the L nitud 
States, become, also, equally independent? As a free city, with a 
nominal duty on imports, her local government could be supported with- 



520 TIIIC K.MI'IHK STATE. 

out taxation upon licr people. Tims we could live free from taxes, and 
Iiave eiieaj) ijoods iiearly duty free. . . . When di.sunion lias liecnnie a 
fixed and certain fact, wliy may not Kew York disrupt the bands which 
bind her to a venal and corrupt master — to a people and a party that 
have plundered her revenues, attempted to ruin lier connuerce, taken 
away the power of self-government, and destroj'ed the confederacy of 
which she was the proud empire city. "' 

The Connnon Council, in political accord with the mayor, ordered 
three thousand copies of this message to be printed in pamphlet form 
for free distri!)ution among the people. The loyal citizens of New Yoi'k 
condemned this revolutionary niuvenient with great severity of utterance 
and patriotic deeds. 

Tlie message of Mayor Wood and tlic bold resolution of the Legisla- 
ture alarmed a certain class of people, who were ready to make every 
concession to the insm-geiits consistent with honor and patriotism. A 
memorial in favor of compromise measures, largely signed l)y merchants, 
manuracturers, and capitalists, was sent to (Congress on .lanuary 12th, 
Is61. It suggested the famous "Crittenden Compromise."" ( )n the 
Istli a lartce meetinn; of merchants was held in the rooms of the Chamber 
of Commerce, when a memorial of similar import M-as adopted, and was 
taken to Washington early in February, with forty thousaml names 
attached. On the 2stli an immense gathering of citizens at the Cooper 
Union ai)pointed three connuissioners— Jaiues T. llrady, C. K. Garrison, 
and Ajipleton Oakes Smith — to confer witJi the " delegates" of six 
" seceded " States in conventions assend)led, in regard to " the best 
measures calculated to restore the peace and integrity of the Union.'' 
At al)ont the same time the Legislaturi', on the invitation of A'irginia, 
appointed five representatives to a i)eace conference, to lie held at ^Vash- 
ington City, l)ut with instructions not to take part in the proceedings 
unless a majority of the free-labor States were there represented. 

^[eanwhile the pro-slavery element in New York had been aroused to 
active sympathy with the insurgent slaveholders. An association was 
speedily formed which was styled " The American Society for the Pro- 
motion of National Union." They denounced the seminal doctrine of 
the Declaration of Independence, that " all men ai'e created ei^ual," 

* .John J. Crillenden, of Kcnnicky, ofTprrd in the Senate of tlie United Slates, in 
Deeeniliei-. ii series of resolutions wliieli was called a eompronii.se Intween the people of 
(he two sections of the eountrv, but which virtually conceded to the slaveholders and 
their friends nearly everything for which they profes.se(l to be contending. It was before 
Congress during the whole session, and was finally rejected on the last day (March 3il, 
1861) by a vole of twenty against nineteen. 



A LEAGUE TO DESTROY THE lUCPrBMC. 521 

and said : " Four millions of Immortal beings, incapable of self-care, 
and indisposed to industry and foresight, are providentially committed 
to the hands of our Southern friends. This stup(!ndous trust they cannot 
put from them if they would. Emancipation, were it possible, would 
be rebellion against Providence, and destruction of tiie colored race in 
our land." 

How strangely mediaeval appears such a sentence (written liy one of 
the most distinguished scientists of the world) in the light of history 
to-day ! This society, which sent its disloyal publications broadcast over 
the land, was the mother of the mischievous Peace Faction, wiiicli pro- 
longed and increased the miseries of the Civil War. It was the parent 
of the brood of misguided men called '' Copperheads" during that fear- 
ful struggle. 

The exportation of fire-arms from the port of New York to the 
Southern insurgents was begun with the year 1S61. Late in January 
the efficient chief of police (John A. Kennedy) caused to be seized a 
large quantity of arms consigned by an agent of the Governor of Georgia 
to insurgents in that State and in Alabama, which had been placed on a 
vessel bound for Savannah. This fact was telegraphed to the Georgia 
capital. Tiobert Toombs, a private citizen, took the matter in hand and 
peremptorily demanded of Mayor Wood whether or not the report was 
true. The mayor answered " Yes," and said he had no power over 
tlie police, or he would punish them for the act. The Governor of 
Georgia retaliated l>y ordering tlie seizure of some New York merchant 
vessels in the port of Savannah. The affair created intense excitement 
all over the Union. It was soon amicably adjusted. 

Delegates appointed by secession conventions (not of the peo))le) of 
six States assembled at Montgomery, Ala., on February -Ith, ISfU, and 
formed a league with the title, " Confederate States of Ajiekica" — a 
misnomer, for no States, as States, were there represented. A Provisional 
Constitution was adopted. Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, was cho.seu 
" Provisional President," and Alexander IT. Stephens, of Georgia, was 
made Vice-President. 

Meanwhile the conspirators in Congress had been witiulrawing from 
that body and organizing rebellion at home. President Buchanan 
remained a passive spectator of the rising rebellion. The general- in- 
chief of the national army (Scott) was feeble in mind and body ; and 
when Mr. Lincoln was inangurated (March 4th, ISfil) the insurgents 
were organized and prepared for war. They had been materially assisted 
by treacherous mendjers of the Cabinet of the retiring President, who 
became leaders of the insurgents. 



522 THE EM PI UK STATE. 

South Oaroliiiiaiis liad tlockcd to C'liarlestun and ]iiled fortifications 
around the harbor. On April 12th, IStil, thu two liundrod threat ^\ins 
of tiiesc forts opened lire upon Fort Siunter, whicli was oeeiipied liy a 
national garrison under tlio coninuuid of Major Anderson, a loyal Ken- 
tuekian. TTis provisions exhausted, he M'as eoni])elled to evacuate (not 
surrender) tlie fort, carryinij away with liini the garrison Hag. This 
event occurred on Sunday, tlie llth. Jnst four yeai-s afterward Major 
Anderson again unfurled that llag over the ruins of the repossessed 
fort. 

Twenty-four hours after the evacuation of Fort Sumter President 
Lincoln issued a call for seventy-five thousand militia from the several 
States, to serve for three months in suppressing this armed rebellion. 
The (juota of New York was seventeen regiments, or thirteen thousand 
men. There was no longer hesitation in the Empire State. The gov- 
ernor sent the proclamation to the Legislature, then in session. In a 
few hours an act was passed conferring large powers on the chief magis- 
trate, and authorizing the enrolment of thirty thousand men for two 
years, and an a])]iropi'iation of §.''), 000, ( '0(1. 

The governor issued a j)ro('lamation ordering the troops to rendezvrms 
at Klmira and New York City. An officer sent to Washington obtained 
the acceptance of the surplus regiments. The Secretary of War sent 
marching orders. Contracts for a large amount of supplies were imme- 
diately made. On April 24th an agent of the State sailed for Europe 
M-ith a bill of credit for sr)0(),(lO(i, with which to purchase arms ; and 
very speedily nineteen thousand Enfield rides, which cost $375,000, 
w'ere landed at New York City. 

The authorized thirty thousand men had been raised within thirty-six 
days after the President's call for troops ; and early in July they were 
organized into thirty-eight regiments. An active committee in New 
York City added ten regiments ; and on July 1st — seventy-seven days 
after the date of the President's proclamation — New York troops in 
the field numbered forty-six thousand seven hundred. 

On April 20th an immense war meeting was held in Union Square, 
in the city of New York. So great was tlie multitude that it was 
divided into four sections, jiresided over respe<!tively by John \. Dix, 
JIaniilton Fish, ex-Mayor llavcmeyer, and Moses li. Grinnell." 



* !Mose.s H. Grinnell, an eminent merchant of New York City, was born at New Betl- 
fonl. Mass.. in JIarili. 1803, and died in New York in November, 187". lie was 
eduealed at private schools and al an academy belonging to the Society of Friends, nr 
Quakers. Bred a merchant, he frequently went al)road as supercargo. He removed to 
New York, and in 1829 he became one of the tirm of Orinnill. Alinturn \- Company, a 



UNION DEFENCE COMMITTEE IN NEW YORK. 



523 



Speeches frauglit with intense fervor were made, and ])atriotic resohi- 
tions were adopted. That meeting effectually removed the false im- 
pression that the greed of commerce was stronger than patriotism in 
New York City. The insurgents, who evidently thought so, M-ere dis- 
appointed. One of their organs, tlie liiclinmnd Deyiaich, said : " New 
York will be remembered with special hatred by tlie South for all time." 

At that meeting a Commit- 
tee of Safety was appointed, 
composed of the most distin- 
guished citizens of New York. 
They met on the same evening, 
and organized the famous Union 
Defence Committee.* Its room 
(30 Pine Street) was open every 
day, and at the Fifth Avenue 
Hotel every evening. The 
committee was charged witli the 
duty of representing '" the citi- 
zens in the collection of funds 
and the transaction of such other 
business, in aid of the move- 
ments of the Government, as 
the public interests may re- 
quire." Its existence continued 
about a3'ear, during which time 

it disbursed about $1,000,000, wliicli the corporation of New York ap- 
propriated for war purposes and placed at its disposal. It assisted in the 
e([uipmeiit, etc.. of forty-nine regiments, or about forty thousand men. 
It spent of the city funds for military purposes nearly $759,000, and for 
the relief of soldiers' families, $230,000. Within ten days after the 

house founded many years before by Joseph Grinnell and Preserved Fish. Mr. Grinnell 
was one of the chief promoters of the expedition to the Arctic seas in scarcli of Sir .John 
Franklin, which was led by Dr. E. K. Kane, 1853-03. He was a member of Congres.s, 
1839-41, and in 1869-71 he was Collector of the Port of New York. 

* The members of the Union Defence Committee were : John A. Dix, Clmirmaii ; 
Simeon Draper, Vice-Chairman ; "William M. 'EtoxXs, Semtnry ; Theodore Delion. 
Treasurer ; Moses Taylor, Richard M. Blatchford, Edwards Pierrepont, Alexander T. 
Stewart. Samuel Sloan, John Jacob Astor, Jr., John J. Cisco, James S. AVadsworlh, 
Isaac Bell, James Boorman. Charles H. JIar.shall, Rolicrt II. McCurdy, Moses H. Grinnell, 
Royal Phelps, William E. Dod^c, Green C. Bronson. Hamilton Fish, AVilliam F. Have- 
meyer, Charles H. Russell, James T. Brady, Rudoli)h A. Whittliaus, Abiel A. Low, 
Prosper M. Wetmore, A. C. Richards, and the mayor, comptroller, and the presidents of 
the two boards of the Common Council of the City of New Y'ork. 




MOSES n. (iUINNEI.L. 



524 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

President's call for troop?, tlmt coimiiittee liad font to tlie field from the 
city of New York fully ten thousmul men, M'ell armed and equijjped. 

Among the regiments that went from the city of New York was the 
famous Seventh, National Guard, commanded by Colonel Marshall 
Letferts. It was composed chiefly of young men of the best families 
in the city. Just as it was about to march news came of an attack upon 
Massachusetts troops in Baltimore by a mob. The regiment was fur- 
nished with ball cartridges. As it nuirched down Broadway it was 
greeted at every step by multitudes of the citizens on sidewalks and 
balconies, and from windows. At the ferry it wsis joined b}' a Massa- 
chusetts regiment accompanied by General B. F. r>utler. Both regi- 
ments M'cre speeding across New eTersey by railway at evening twilight. 

Hundreds of families wooed sleep in vain that night. They knew 
that l)lood h;ul been shed in Baltimore, and that their loved ones were 
in innuinont ])eril. But patriotism triumphed over personal considera- 
tions. The enthusiasm of tlie people was marvellous. The women were 
as patriotic as the men. Five brothers of a New York family enlisted 
and marched away. Their mother was absent at the time. She wrote 
to her husbaiul : 

" Though 1 have lo\'tHl my children with a love that only a mother 
knows, yet when I look upon the state of my country, I cannot withhold 
them. In the name of their God, and their mother's God, and their 
country's God, I bid them go. If I had ten sons instead of five I should 
give them all sooner than have our country rent in fragments."' 

This was the spirit of the loyal women all over the land during the 
fierce struggle that ensued.* 

• The Society of Friends, or Quakers, were generally loyal. Their principles forbade 
tliciii to boar arms, but lliey gave ircneroiis aid to the good cause by as.sidiu)us services in 
hosjiitals, etc. The society felt it a duty to publish a " Testimony" exhorting tlieir 
brethren to resist " the temptations of the hour," and while anxious to uphold the Gov- 
ernment, not to " transgress the principles and injunctions of the gospel.'" But many of 
the younger Friends esiiecially gave little heed to the " Testimony," but bore arms and 
obeyed the injunctions of a itatriotic Quaker mother in Philadelphia, who wrote to her 
son in camp : " Let not thy musket hold a silont meeting before the enemy." 

In strong contrast with this was the litter of a naltimore mother to her loyal son, ii 
clergyman in Boston, who. on the Sunday after the attack on Fort Sumter, iireached a 

patriotic sermon to his tlock. She wrote : 

"Baltimore, .\pril 17, IWil. 
" Mv Uear Son : Vour remarks liipt Siiblinth were telegraphed lo Baltiinure and published in an 
extra. Has Oo<I sent you to preach the swonl or to preach Christ f 

"YocR .Mother." 
The son replied : 

"Boston, April 22, 1801. 
'* Dear Mother : ' find has sent ' me not only to ^ptvach ' the sword, bnt to use it. When this Gov- 
crumeut tumbles, look anions the ruins for 

" Voir STAR-SrAN(ii,Ei> Banner Son." 



ACTION OF CIVIL AND :\nLITAHY AUTHORITIES. 



525 



After tlie President's proclamation, troops from the slave-labor States 
pressed eagerly toward the national capital, ol)edient to the shout of 
Alexander II. Stephens, as he moved northward from ilontgomery to 
Richmond — "• On to Washington T'' Their oljject was the seizure of 
the Government, its arcliives and its treasury. At the .same time thou- 
sands of men from tlie free-hihor States were pressing as eagerly for 
the same goal, to save those 
jirecious possessions. Xews of a 
murderous attack upon a Massa- 
chusetts regiment in Baltimore 
byamol) flashed over tiie country 
accelerated the speed of prepara- 
tion and march for the salvation 
of tlie Hepulilic. 

Major-General John E. Wool,* 
the second in command to the 
general - in - chief of the army 
(Scott), was at iiis home in Troy, 
N. Y. Tliough seventy-six years 
of age, he was then an active and 
vigorous soldier. He hastened 
to confer with Governor Morgan, 
at Albany. While they were in .joiix ei.i.is wool. 

consultation the governor re- 
ceived a des])atch from Washington urging him to send troops thitlier 
as quickly as ])ossible. The general immediately issued orders to the 
quartermaster at New York to furnish transportation to Washington for 
all troops that might be sent ; also to tlie commissary to furnish sub- 
sistence for them for thirty days. 




* John Ellis Wool was born in Xewburgli, N. Y.. in 1788, and (lied in Troy, X. Y., in 
November. 1869. He became in liis yonth a bookseller in Troy, studied law, and in tlie 
spring of 1812 entered the army as captain of a company raised in Troy. He served 
gallantly in the War of 1813-1.5. At the peace he was retained in the army. In 1833 he 
Wiis sent to Europe to examine some of tlte military systems on the Continent. He 
became a brigadier-general in 1841. and performed excellent service in Mexico in 1846-48. 
especially in organizing and disciplining volunteers. For his bravery in the battle of 
Buena Vista, which he planned, he was brevetted major-general, and received the thanks 
of Congress and a sword. In 18.56 he quelled Indian disturbances in Oregon. At the 
breaking out of the Civil War General Wool, in command of the Eastern Department, 
took measures which saved Washington City from capture by the Confederates. He wjis 
commissioned major-general in May, 1863. and he commanded the expedition that took 
possession of Norfolk that month. 



yH) IIII-; KMI'IHK STATH. 

The governor went to New York that night ; tlio genenil followed two 
(liivs afterward, and made his hcadijnarters at the St. Xiehojas Ifotel. 
There he conferred with the Union Defence Cunnnittee and arranged 
plans for the salvation of the capital, which was then so isolated by a 
cordon of enemies that Scott conld not communicate by telegra{)h to a 
regiment outside the District of Columbia ; neither could any communi- 
cation reach the President from beyond those limits. Under these cir- 
cumstances General Wool assumed the gravest rcsponsiI)ilities, and with 
the assistance of the Union Defence Committee and the co-operation of 
Connnodores Ereeze and Stringham, succeeded in saving the capital. 

The battle of Bull's Run. in July, gave a new impetus to the demand 
for troop>, and Governor ]\Iorgan issued a proclnmation for twenty-five 
thousand three years' men, the money to rai.^cand ecpiip them to be paid 
by the National Government. The quota of New York was increased 
from time to time, and on January Ist, 1S(>2, it was one hundred and 
twenty thousand. Its troops had taken ])art in every engagement east of 
the Alleghany Mountains and south of Washington. 

A called session of Congress opened on July 4th, for the purpose of 
providing means for carrying on the war then Just begun. Authority 
was given for raising five hundred thousand soldiei*s, and appropriating 
$.500,(10(1,000 to pay the expenses. These acts implied a heavy loan from 
the people. Could it be obtained i The question was soon answered. At 
the close of the year the Secretary of the Treasury had borrowed $-170,000,- 
(•00 of the loyal people, of which sum New York alone had advanced 
§210,000,000. It was a wonderful exhibition of patriotism and of gen- 
erous faith in the people. The risk was tremendous, but the jewel to be 
secured was beyond price. Without this advance arms could not lia%'e 
been bought, nor ships l)uilt, nor armies moved, and the Keimblic must 
have perished. Ag.iin New York saved it. Iler sons ap])reciated the 
peril and the value of the endangered treasure, and flew to the rescue. 

While thousamis of loyal men were hastening to the field, loyal women 
were devising plans and taking measures for their aid and comfort. On 
the day when the President's call for troops appeared (April 15th), Miss 
Ahnena Bates, in Charlcstown, Mass., took steps to found an associ- 
ation for the ])urpose. On the same day women of Bridgeport, Conn. , 
organized a society to furnish nurses for the sick and wounded soldiers, 
and provisions and clothing for them. A few days later women of 
Lowell, Mass., did the same thing, and on the 19th women of Cleve- 
land, O., formed an association for the more immediately practical pur- 
pose of giving assistance to the families of volunteers. 

This spontaneous ontcrop])ing of the tenderest feelings of women 



RELIEF FOR SOLDIEltS IX THE FIELD. 



527 



suggested tlie formation, in the city of Xew York, of the powerful 
society known as the United States Sanitary Conuiiif^sion. Fifty or 
sixty benevolent women of New York met by appointment on April 
26th, 1S61, when a Central Relief Association was suggested. They 
formed a plan, and the women of the city were invited to assendile at the 
Cooper Union to consider it on the 2!Hli. Many leading gentlemen of 
tiie city were invited to l)e pres- 
ent. The response to the call 
was ample in number, charac- 
ter, and tinancial resources. 
David Dudley Field presided. 
The Vice-President of tiie Uni- 
ted States (Hannibal ITamlin) 
addressed the meeting. A be- 
nevolent organization known 
as the AYomen''s Central Relief 
Association was effected, and 
the venerable Dr. Valentine 
Mott was chosen its presiilent. 
The chief actor in this move- 
ment was the Rev. H. W. 
Bellows, D.D., pastor of All 
Souls (Unitarian) Church.'' 

The necessit}' for a mucli 
broader field of action was soon 

perceived, and early in -Tune the Secretary of War authorized the forma- 
tion of a " Commission of imjuiry and advice in resj>ect of the sanitary 
interests of the United States." Eminent civilians and soldiers formed 
the commission. Dr. Bellows, its real author, was chosen its president. 
He submitted a plan of operations which was adopted, and the associa- 
tion assumed the name of the United States Sanitary Commission. t 




BEI.I.dWS. 



* Henry Whitney Bellows, D.D., an eloquent clergyman of the Unitarian Clinreh, was 
born in Boston in June, 18U. He was graduated at Harvard College and at Harvard 
Divinity School at Cambridge, Mass. He was ordained pastor of the First Unitarian 
Church (All Souls) in Xew York in 1838, where he labored .successfully forty-four years. 
He was the principal projector of the Chnstian Inquirer, a Unitarian newsijaper, and its 
chief contributor. He was the real originator of the United Slates Sanitary Comrais-siou. 
Dr. Bellows died in .January, 1882. 

t The seal of the Sanitarv Connnlssion bore the device of an angel of mercy descending 
from the clouds upon a deserted battle-tield, where a .soldier is seen administering aid to 
a wounded comrade. The first olficers of the commission were : Henry W. J^e''"^*- 
D.D., President; Professor A. D. Bache, LL.D., Vice- Premie nt ; Elisha Hams, JI.D., 



528 



THE EMPIHE ^<TATE. 



Frederick Law Olmsteil was !H)i)niiiti;cl its residt'iit secretary, and became 
its real manager. 

The object of the commission was to Pupj)U!meiit CJuverninent defi- 
ciencies. An appeal M'as made to the ])eople for contrii)Utions. The 
response "was most generous. Supplies and money flowed in from all 
quarters sufficient to meet every demand. All over the country men, 
women, and children were seen working singly or collectively for it. 
Fairs were held in cities and large towns which raised immense sums of 
money for the treasury of the commission. The city of Poughkccpsie, 
■with sixteen thousand iidiahitants, held a fair and contributed to the 
treasury of the commission one dollar for each man, woman, and child 

of its population— $10,0(10. The treas- 
urer of the Soldiers' Sanitary Fair in 
thecityof New YorklJohn II. (iourlie) 
received from the treasurer of the com- 
mission a receii)t for $l,00(),iiO(», the 
net proceeds of the fail'. Tlie com- 
mission cstal)lished bi'anches. And)u- 
lan(!cs, army wagons, and steamboats 
were eniiiloyecl in transporting the sick 
and wounded soldiers under its charge. 
It followed the army closely in all 
campaigns. Before the smoke of con- 
iiict had been fairly lifted there w,is 
seen the commission with its tents, its 
vehicles, and its supplies. 
The grand work of the United States Sanitary Commission was con- 
tinually made plain during the war, and especially at its close, M-hen the 
success of its labors M'as considered. The loyal people of the land, justly 
confiding in its wisdom, energy, and integrity, had given to it supplies 
valued at $1."), 000, 000, and money to the amount of §.5,000,000. 

Later in the same year (ls<'>l) another and most etlicient and important 
iissociation was farmed in the city of New York, the chief object of 
M-liich was to promote the moral and spiritual welfare of the soldiers. It 
■was suggested by Vinciiut CoUyer, an artist, and a most earnest worker in 
the cause of Christian effort of ever^' kind. It had its origin in the 
Young !Men's Christian Association in New York. At a national con- 
vention of such associations held in their hall in November to consult 




SEAL OK TirE I'NITED STATES SAM 
TAISY COMMISSION. 



Correxponding Srrretnri/ ; Gencrnl George W. CuUum, Alexander E. Sliira.s, Robert C. 
Woofl, M.D., Wolcott Gibb.s, {'ornolius R. Ajrnew, M.D., George T. Strons, Frederick 
Law Olinsled. Samiul (! IIowi-. M.I> , and .T. S. Xcwbi'irv. M.D.. ('oiiimiiu'ioiu'rs. 



UNITED STATES ClIUISTIAN (OM.MISSIOX. 



upon tlie oest efforts to bo made for tlie spiritual good of tlie soldiers, 
the UxriED States Christian Commission was organized, and Georo'e 
II. Stuart, of Philadelphia, was chosen its presiding officer.* 

Tiiis coniinission worked upon the same general plan adopted by the 
Sanitary Commission. Its labors were by no moans confined to spiritual 
and intellectual ministrations, but were extended to the distribution of a 
vast amount of food, hospital stores, delicacies, and clothing. It, too, 
followed the great national armies, and was like a twin angel of mercy 
with the Sanitary Commission. It co-operated efficiently with the 
chaplains of the army and navy, 
and cast about the soldiers and 
seamen a salutary hedge of Chris- 
tian influence. The money col- 
lected for tlie use of the commis- 
sion was mostly gathered b}' the 
women of various Christian de- 
nominations. It was a free-will 
offering, and amounted, in the 
aggregate, to about $1,000,000. 
The entire receipts of the coiri- 
inission in money and supplies were 
fully $6,000,(100. 

In this chapter we have an out- 
line picture of the attitude of the 
people of the Commonwealth of 

New York dnring that crucial period of its history — namely, the first 
few months of the kindling and progress of the great Civil War. ^Ve 
have seen how firmly they received the cruel and sudden shock ; how 
willingly they sacrificed their personal interests for the general good ; 
how generously they gave men and money for the salvation of the life of 
the Republic ; and what a wonderful system of philanthropic and patri- 
otic effort they inaugurated and sustained in causing tlie loyal people of 
the land to lay at the feet of the defenders of our common country a 
free-will offering of !?20,00(>,0()(J ! 







VINCENT I Dl.I.VKl;. 



* The officers of tlio Christ iuti Commission were : Geoige H. Stuart, Cliainwiii ; Rev. 
W. E. Boaiclman, ,S(crctan/ : Joseph Pattcrsou, Treasurer, iiiid George H. Stuart, 
Bishop E. S. Janes, D.D., Cliailes Uemomb. John P. Croser, ami Jay Cooke, Executice 
Comneittee. 



530 Till-: EMl'lUK SIATE. 



CIlAl'TER XXXVIII. 

There was a remarkable change in the political aspect of New York 
late in 18G2. The Opposition charged the national administration with 
a design to destroy tlie institution of slavery. Countenance was given 
to this opinion because many of the lle])ublican nominees for office at 
the fall election wei'e known to be advocates of the anti-slavery cause. 
The Republican nominee for governor, James S. AVadsworth, held the 
most extreme radical views of his ]>arty on this snliject. 

The Democrats nominated Horatio Seymour for (xovernor. Both 
parties expressed, in the resolutions of their respective conventions, their 
firm determination to uphold the Xational Government in its struggle 
MMth its foes. The citizens of the State were then divided into two great 
parties, Republican and Democratic. There was a small party of adhe- 
rents of the I'ell organization of 1860, w'hose views were expressed in 
the phrase, " The Constitution, the T^nion, and the Enforcement of the 
Laws." 

At the fall election ex-Governor Seymour and the Democratic candi- 
dates for State offices were elected by a majoritj^ of nearly eleven thou- 
sand votes. The Senate remained overwhelmingly Republican, while 
there was a tie in the Assembly at the beginning of 18(53. 

"While the extraordinary expenses of the State on account of the war 
were increasing, and the commonwealth was pledged to j)ay its debts in 
coin, its revenues were diminished over $600,000 by the financial policy 
of the Xational Government at that time, in exempting its bonds from 
State taxation, etc. The banks of the State held §12j,ihm),0(M) of these 
various untaxed bonds. The State debt (canal and funded) in the fall 
of 1S62 was Jiearly >;31,<i(M»,()00. 

Xotwithstanding this diminution of its revenue, the State of New 
York continued its gigantic exertions in support of the Xational Govern- 
ment. It appropriated men and money with a lavish hand. During 
1S(')2 it sent one huiulred and twenty regiments to the field in response 
to two calls of the President for troops for nine months and for the war 
— six liundred thousand in number. Xew Y'ork paid a bounty of fifty 
dollars each for volunteers, for which purpose $n,(!5(t,00() were required, 
making the war expenditure of the State sln,U()(i,(i()ii. The subscrip- 



BEGINNING OF A NEW K1{A. 531 

tions of towns and eonnties for fhe same purpose were equal \n amount, 
niaking the contributions of the people of the State $20,000,000. 

At the close of 1S()2 the number of soldiers furnished by the State of 
New York, including recruits for the regular army and far regiments in 
other States, was two hundred and nineteen thousand. Of the regiments 
raised seventy-one had their headquarters in New York City. At the 
close of the year the citizens of the State had contributed to the support 
of the Government in taxes, gifts, and loans to the nation $300,000,000 
and eighty thousand volunteers. 

The beginning of 1S6;> was the opening of a new era in the life of our 
Hepublic. On that day, by a proclamation of emancipation by ihe Presi- 
dent of the United States, human slavery was abolished from every part 
of the Union, and our country became, for the first time, really 

" Tiic 1:111(1 of tlic tree and tlir litnui' of llic hi"av('." 

Up to tluit period the fortunes of war had generally favored the ene- 
mies of the Republic. From that time until peace was secured by the 
wisdom, patience, and valor of the loyal people, almost continual 
triumphs rewarded the exertions of the national troops. 

Horatio Seymour was again inaugurated Governor of New York 
on January 1st, 18G3. His first message to the Legislature was a 
vigorous dissent from the entire policy of the national administration. 
He declared that Congress and the Government had violated the rights 
of the States. He traced the origin of the war to a disregard of the 
obligations of the Constitution, disrespect for constituted authority, and 
local and sectional prejudices. He believed the war might have been 
averted, but when its Hoodgates were opened the administration was in- 
adeipuite to comprehend its dimensions or to control its sweep. He 
charged the Government with extravagance and corrujition in every 
department, and violations of the Constitution and laws in making 
arbitrary arrests in disregard of the rights and autiiority of the States, 
suppressing journals, proclaiming martial law, and '" attempting to 
emancipate the slaves.'' He declared that the administration had 
effected a complete revolution in the (iovernnient ; that national bank- 
ruptcy and ruin were imminent ; and tiiat the (Government, in its per- 
sistent attempts to subjugate the South, in violation of its solemn pledges 
at the beginning of the war, had failed in the attainment of its ends. At 
the same time lie declared that tlu Union must be restored to its integ- 
rity as it existed before the war ; that the situation as it stood must be 
accepted ; that the armies in the field must be supported ; that all 
the reipiircments of the Constitution must promptly be responded to. 



'y'i2 TIIK KMl'lKK SIATK. 

and tliat undrr no circunistanccs coiilil :i division of thu I'nion he 
conceded. 

Tills arnuLrnniont of tlie National (TOVcrnniiMit at tlie liar of ]>iil)iie 
opinion hy tiie distinguished Governor of the great ooninionwealth of 
New Yoik liad a ])o\verful influence in cooling the ardor of the loyal 
people, particularly in his own .State. Tiie patriotic tone of the message 
gave it greater puissance. The line of partisan demarcation between the 
two great political p;irties, wiiicli had heeii almost ohlitcrated hy the com- 
mon effort to oppose tlic revolutionary movements of the secessionists, 
■was now conspicuously restored. The Peace Faction made the message 
;in instrument for the discouragement of volunteering, and demagogues 
at tiie North who sympathized with the insurgents made it a jjasis for 
inllaminatory harangues intended to divide and distract the loyal people, 
and to excite a counter-demonstration in favor of the schemes of the 
conspirators. 

Early in June a mass meeting of nicniliurs of tlie Peace Faction as- 
sembled in New York City and adopted a series of characteristic resolu- 
tions. They declared their fealty to the Constitution and to the " .sov- 
ereignty of the States ;'' denied that tlie National CTOvernment had rightful 
;power to " coerce a State ;" asserted that the war was unconstitutional 
and ought to " be put an end to," and protested against the " cowardly, 
despotic, and inhuman act of banishing C. L. Yallandigliam.'" " Ad- 
ministration and Democratic conventions were held in September, the 
foriiuM- recommending a vigorous ])rosoeution of the war, the latter 
pledging their support to the (lovernment in subduing the rebellion and 
restoring tiie Union. 

The obstructions which tlie Peace Faction continually cast in tlie way 
of enlistments compelled tiie President, under the authority of Congress, 
to order a general conscription or draft to fill up the raidv of the armies. 
< )rganized resistance to this measure instantly appeared. The leaders of 
the Peace Faction denounced tiie law and ail acts under it, witli arbitrary 

* In the .spring of 1863 Clement L. Valhiudigliam, an ex-mcmbcr of Congrc&s from 
Ohio, was especially busy in sowing the seeds of disaffection to the Government among 
the people of Ohio. General Burnside, in command of the military department in which 
\';ill;indigli;iin was opcraling. had issued a general order for the suppression of .seditious 
si)cech and aelinn, and threatened the punisliment due to spies and traitors to such 
offenders. Vallaniligliam defied the military power and denounced the order, lie was 
arrested al his own liouse at Dayton, was tried by a courl-marlial, convicted, and sen- 
tenced 111 cIos(! contincinent in a fortress during the remainder of llie war. This .sentence 
was commuted to banishment within the Confederate lines. Ilis Southern friends treated 
him so coldly that he left them in disgust, went to Canada, and tarried awhile with Con- 
fcderate refugeo-s there. Meanwhile the Democratic State Convention of Ohio nominaled 
him for irnvcrnor. 



1)1! AFT UloTS IX NEW Y01{K CITY. rtT.i 

arrests for treasonable practices,* as despotic and unconstitutional. An 
obscure lawyer in iS"e\v York named McCiinn, wlio liad been elected 
judge, so decided. He was sustained by tiiree judges of tlie Supreme 
Court of Pennsylvania — Lowrie, Woodwartl, and Tliompson. Supported 
by these decisions, opposition politicians opposed the draft with a hio-Ii 
hand. Kindred newspapers and pul)lic speai<ers joined in the denun- 
ciations. The national anniversary (July 4th) was made the special occa- 
sion for their utterances. 

Distinguished mendjers of the Peace Faction exhorted the people to 
stand tirmly in opposition to what they called the " usurpations of the 
Government." One of the most exalted among these opponents of tlie 
Government, in an address at Tammany Ilall on July 4th, uttered sneers 
because Vicksburg had not been taken, and taunted the President with 
having uttered a " midnight cry for help" because of Lee's invasion of 
Maryland. At that moment Vicksburg and thirty-seven thousand prison- 
ers of war were in the possession of General Grant, and Lee and his 
legions, discomfited at (Tettysburg, wore preparing to fly back to Vir- 
ginia. These two decisive battles of the war had been f ought and won 
by the National troops, and the safety of the Tlepublic was assured in 
spite of the Peace Faction. 

On the evening of -Tnly I'd an incendiary hand-bill, calculated to incite 
to insurrection, was scattered over tlie city, and a morning newspaper 
advised its readers to provide themselves with a " good latled musket, 
a few pounds of powder, and a hundred or two of shot" to " defend 
their homes and [)ersonal liberties from invasion from (Oif/ (jnarter." ft 
is lielieved that an organized outbreak had been planned and would have 
been executed, but for the successes of the Nationals at Vicksburg and 
Gettysburg. The draft began in New York, on July 13th, ISGo, in a 
building on the corner of Forty-sixth Street and Third Avenue. Sud- 
denly a large crowd, who had cut the telegraph wires leading out of the 
city, appeared, attacked the building, drove out the men in charge of the 



* .lust after the proelaniution for a coiiscriptiiiii appeared, a publie meeting wa.s held in 
Albany to cou.sider tlu; arrest of Vallandig-ham. Governor Sc'yiuour was invited to 
attend. He deelined. but .sent a letter in whieh he expres.sed his views very freely. He 
denouneed the act as a violation of the most .sacred rights of every American citizen. 
He pronounced the order which, it was alleged, had bei^n violated by the ijrisoner, invalid. 
He dei-lared that the governments and the courts of some of the great Westeru Stales had 
sunk into insignificance before despotic military power. He said that, having given to 
the Government a generous support, the people woidd now " pause )o see what kind of a 
government it is for which we are asked to poiu- out our blood and treasure ;" to 
determine "' whether this war is waged to put down rebellion at the South or to destroy- 
free institutions at the Xorth." 



o:u 'iiii: KMi'iin; state. 

draft, poured kerosene oil over the floor of tlie room, and very soon that 
and tlic adjoiiiini:: edifice were in flames. Tlie firemen and tlie j)oliee 
were driven off. So began a violent tunuilt in wliieh thousands of men 
and women, cliiefly foreigners by birtli anil ilisloyal men from the Sonth- 
ern States, were engaged for three full days and nights. The; draft was 
only a pretext. The cry against it soon ceased, and was supplemented 
by shouts of " Down with the Abolitionists I J)i>wn with the nigger ! 
Tlurr;di for Jeff Davis !" 

The mob compelled hundreds of citizens driven out uf manufacturing 
establishments, which they had closed, to join them, and, under the in- 
fluence of strong drink, arson and plunder became the business of the 
rioters. The special objects of their wrath were the innocent colored 
people. They laid in ashes the Colored Orphan Asylum. The terrified 
inmates, who fled in terror, were pursued and cruelly beaten. Men and 
M-omen were pounded to death in the streets, and the colored people 
were hunted as if they were noxious wild beasts. Finally the police, 
aided by some troops, suppressed tJic insurrection in the city, but not 
until a thousand persons had lieen slain or wounded, fifty buildings had 
been destroyed by the mob, a large nnnd)er f)f stores and dwellings not 
burned had been sacked or plumli-rcd, and pnjperty valued at ,S2,000,0(IO 
liad been wasted. This riot was evidently an irregular outbreak of a 
vast conspiracy planned by disloyal men in both sections of the Tnion. 

Governor Seymour, who was at the sea-shore a few miles from ]*sew 
York, interposed his personal influence to tpiell the disturbance on the 
second day of the riot. He came up to the scene of tumult, and after 
issuing a proclamation declaring the town to be in a state of insurrection, 
he repaired to the City Ilall, and from its steps addressed the angry 
multitude in soothing words, telling them that he hiid sent his adjutant- 
general to the National Capital to demand a suspension of the draft mitil 
a judicial decision concerning it might be oi)tained. His mild exhorta- 
tion M-as unheeded, of course. Tlie mol) while tnaiting went on plun- 
dering, burning, and murdering, until the strong arm of physical force 
— military and police— restrained tliem. 

The governor's " demand " ' was not complied with. The exigency 
was too vitally important and the danger was too pressing to safely 
admit of delay. To save the Republic the army must be strengtiiened. 
The draft was resumed. General Dix asked Governor Seymour for 
military aid to enforce the measure. It was refused, when tlie Secretary 
of War ordered many regiments and batteries of artillery to the assist- 
ance of the commaiuler of the Department of the East. An enrolment 
of the militia in New York, which was completed in September, sliowed 



THE NATIONAL CURRENCY ESTABLISH KI). 535 

tliat there were live luindred and thirty-nine thousand five hundred and 
tliirty-nine men in the State subject to the draft. 

Early in 18(53 a powerful association was formed in the city of Mew 
York for the special purpose of givin<^ support, moral and physical, to 
the National Government in its struggles with its foes, secret and open. 
It was organized on March /Jdth, 1803, with the title of the "Union 
League Club," and did iu)l>lc service to the good cause during the re- 
mainder of the war. This chih was essentially the child of the United 
States Sanitary Commission. 

The Union League Club asked Governor Seymour to give them au- 
thority to recruit a regiment of colored troops. He refused, on the 
ground that he had not the jiower to do so. That authority was iimne- 
diately given by the Secretary of War, and within a month a full regi- 
ment was recriiited and placed in camp, for which dnty the Club con- 
tributed S18,(XlO. The regiment received their colors (presented by the 
loyal women of the city) in front of the club house. Six months after 
the riot, when no colored man dared to be seen in tlie streets of New 
York, this regiment marched down Broadway on its journey to the field, 
receiving tokens of respect and honor at every step. 

Li February, 1863, Congress passed an act for the estalAislnnent of a 
national paper currency that should circulate at par in all parts of the 
I' nion ; also for the creation of national banking institutions. The author 
of this admirable scheme, which has worked so beneficently for the peo- 
ple and the nation, is the venerable John Thompson, then as now (1887) 
an eminent financier in the city of New York. He and Mr. Chase, the 
Secretary of the Treasury, were intimate personal friends. So early as 
June, 1861, Mr. Thompson, in a letter to the Secretary, proposed the 
plan, which Congress substantially adopted. When the law was passed 
Mr. Thompson showed his " faith by his works." He established in the 
city of New Y'ork the first l)auk under the law, and called it the " Chase 
National Bank." 

As the war went on tlie State of New York contimied to make strik- 
ing displays of its vast military strength and other resources. The year 
1S64 was a memorable one in its history, (ieneral prosjierity prevailed. 
The people bore the enormous burdens laid upon them with cheerfulness 
and alacrity. Careful of the credit and honor of the commonwealth, 
the Legislature early in the year adopted a joint resolution that no dis- 
tinction should be nuide between the foreign and domestic creditors of 
the State in the payment of interest on the State debt, [t was done, and 
the interest was paid to all alike in gold or its equivalent. At the same 
session provision was made to secure at the general election the votes of 



530 THE EMIMHE STATE. 

tlio soldiers iiiul seiuiuMi wlio iniiclit l)c absent on actual tluty at the time. 
At the Presidential election in the fall thousands of electors engaired in 
the naval and military service voted hv proxy. 

President Lincoln was renominated for the Chief ^Magistracy hy the 
Republicans, (reneral (ieorgeB. McCMellan, wlio liad left the army, was 
the Democratic opponent, and rciceived the solid vote of the Peace Fac- 
tion. ]>iit Mr. Lincoln was elected hy an overwhelming majority of the 
votes of the loyal people. 

The National (iovernment, having information that Confederates i?i 
Canada, a(;ting as agents of the rebel government, had formed a con- 
s])ira(;y to interfere with tiie Presidential election and endeavor to inau- 
gurate a counter-i'evolntion in the Xorthern States, by sending refugees, 
deserters from the I'nion armies, aliens, and others to vote, |irecautionar\' 
measures were talcen. (lenei'al Dix, commander of the Department of 
the East, provided for the arrest and sumniarv punishment of such 
offenders against the purity and freedom of the ballot and of social ordei-. 
He was seconded by Governor Seymour. On November 2d the Mayor 
of New York City ((iuuther) received a telegram from the Secretar}' of 
State (Seward) warning him that a conspiracy among the Confederate 
agents in Canada was on foot to burn the principal cities in the Northern 
States on the day of the Presidential election. ' 

To protect the cit}' of New York at that election about seven thou.saiul 
troo))s were sent to the vicinity and placed on steamboats which were 
ancliored in the surrounding waters, ready for prompt action at any ino- 
7nent. (Jencral P>. 1''. Ibitlei- was sent from Fortress ]\ronroe to take the 
chief command. 

The Confederates and their Northern friends were foiled liv this 
prompt aiul energetic action, and peace and good order were maintained 
at the elections tiiroughont the State. Ihitler loft the command of the 
troops with General ILiwley on November l.'itli, when all danger seemed 
to be overpast. P>ut ten days afterward the execution of a part of the con- 
spiracy was attempted in the city of New York bysetting on tire, at the same 
hour at night, of a large number of hotels and Barnum's IMnseum. One 
of the culprits, who was caught and hanged, coufessed that he and several 
others had been sent by Confederates in Canada to lay the city of New 
Y'ork in ashes. They intended to start the conflagration on the night of 
the election, but some of their inflammable material was not then ready." 

At the fall election in ISGi Ileuben E. Fenton* was cliosen Governor 

* Hcubcn E. Funlon wn.s born July 4th, 1819, in Cliantauqua County, N. Y. : a 
(li'sciMiiliint of one of llic noted early .settlors of Connecticut. lie worked on his father's 
farm in the warm sea>oii .•mil studied in a lo^ .seliool liou-ie in winter until lie was lifleen 



PROSrECTS OI.' I'EACE. 5;57 

of the State of jSIcw York I)y the Eepublicans, by a majority of over 
eight thousand votes. Diiriiiu; tliat year the eoniii}oii\voaltii iiail put 
forth its might in a surprising maimer. It sent into the tiehl from 
its farms and workshops and mercantile life l(;i,(i()4 men. From April, 
1861, to December, IStU, the State had given to the military service 
•iSTjTOl men, of which number 
409,42(5 had entered the army and 
2S,2T."i the naA-y. To jireserve a 
record t)f every iii;iii sent from 
New York to tlie ticld, and for 
a depository of battle-Hags and 
other trophies of the war, a 
l^ureau of ALilitary Statistics was 
established at the State caiiital, 
and for its use a fire-proof build- 
ing was subsequently erected. Out ,/' 
of the enrolled nulitia of the State j' 

a -N ational (luard was formed, con- '^'^\.^, -V.A ,£- ^^ ^ 

sisting of about forty -six thousand 
men. 

At the lieginning of 18(55 tliere 
was a glowing promise of a speedy liKvm-.N e. kunton, 

termination of the war and the 

re-establishment of a I'nion strengthened and jiowerful. Brilliant vic- 
tories had been won by the great armies led by Generals (irant and 
Sherman. The latter had inarched triumphantly through Georgia — the 
" Empire State of the South" — from Atlanta to the sea, and discovered 

years old, when lie received a little academic education. In early life he became exten- 
sively engaged in the lumber business. At the age of twenty-three he was elected super- 
visor of his town, and held the office eight years. In 1840 he became a member of Ihe 
Assembly, and in 1849 he was elected to Congress. He wa.s a Democrat, but he firmly 
ojiposed the rejieal of Ihe Missouri Compromise, and fought against the Kansas-Netiraska 
bill, which ellVetcd it. Willi Ihe passage of that aet by the johit aetion of the Dcmoerals 
and slaveholders. Mr. Fciiton abaudoncd the Democralie Party, and l)eeaiiic an active 
nieiuber of the K<'publican Parly at its organization in 18.54. He presided at tiie firsl. 
Reiiublieau State Convention in Ivew York. In 18.56 the Republiean Parly elected him 
to Congress, wherein he serve<l four terms successively. In \>i(H he was elected Go\eriior 
of his native Stale. Horatio Seymour was his opponent. An active war governor, he 
won the affeetion of all soldiers by the warm interest he always manifested in their 
welfare in or iiul of llicarmy. Ills general policy during his a<lministralion was gener- 
ally approved by Ihe best men of both parties. He wa.s cng.iged iu Ihe business of bank- 
ing at the lime of his death, which occurred very suddenly, from heart disease, in hLs 
private office al his banking house at .lameslown, N. Y., on August 2.5th. 1885. In jierson 
Governor Fenlou was tall and sleiiiler, and graceful in figure and movements. 




538 Tin; KMi'iKi; st.vtk. 

tlio fatal weakness of tlie Confederacy' ; tlie former, at Petersburg, was 
•Icstroying tlie props of the Confederate capital, Uieliniond, wliieli even 
tlifii was tottering to its fall. 

In his message to the Legislature Manuary, isG.j) Covernitr Fenton 
congi-atidated the ])eople of New York liecanse of ahounding prosperity 
in every jiart of the (■(unnioiiwealtli, and tlie bright outlook of the future 
for the nation, lie sid)niitted to them the Thirteenth Amendment to 
the Mation;»l Constitution proposed liy Congres.s for the aijolition of 
slavery, with an earnest reconnneinliition for its prompt adoption. It 
was done. 

The congratulations of the governor were justilied hy events. On 
April 0th the main Confederate Army under General Robert E. Lee was 
surrendered to (reneral (rrant at Ajipomattox Court-House, in Virginia ; 
and the ne.xt larger Confederate force, under Ceneral Joseph li. John- 
ston, surrendered to (ieneral Sherman near Haleigh, in North Carolina, 
on the 14th. These two events caused the speedy ending of the war. 

The telegraph had thrilled the loyal people with the glad tidings of 
these auspicious events, Mdien it checked the exuberance of that joy by 
imparting the sad news of the assassination of the President of the 
United States at a theatre in Washington, on the evening of the 14tli of 
Aj)ril. lie expired the next morning. The Vice-President (Andrew 
Johnson) immediately assumed the functions of the exalted ofKce, and 
the integrity and strength of the Government experienced no shock from 
the dreadful l)low. 

At the close of the war, in May, lS(i5, the State of New York had 
furnished for the conflict 47o,-t4."i men, including ](i,(M)U militiamen 
mustered for a less term of service than three months. Of this number 
the city of New York gave 116,382 men for terms of one, two, three, 
and four years' service. The average cost for each man, including 
bounties, ex])euditnres for the relief of their families, etc., was SL")((.47. 

So rapidly did the great armies di.ssolve and become a part of the civil 
life of the nation,* that at the begimiing of ISOC oidy seven regiments of 
infantry and two of cavalry of the New York troops remained in the 
service of the United States, in addition toother enormous expendi- 



* The (lishaiidiiij; of llic vicloiiims aiinii's of llic rciiuhlic l)(',i;!iii in .Iiinc. ISO."), and llir 
soldiers rclinucd to llicir homes. It was a most interesliiij; jiiid nire s])e<la<le for the 
(onlemplalion of the nations. In llic space of one liumlred and tifly days the vasl mulli- 
Mide of defenders of Ihe Union were transformed into peaceful citizens, and resumed the 
varied and Ijlcssod avocations of iieace. There bad lu'en enrolled for ilutv 2.fi.'i(i..'ifll men. 
of whom 1,490,000 \vere in actual service, IJy inid-winterof 1S06, 7.')0,(K)0 men had Ik'cu 
mustered out of the service. 



r.MPOKTANT LEGISLATIVK AC'TIOX. 5.39 

tares for the war, the State of New York disbursed over §35,000,000 to 
its soldiers in bounties alone from July ITtli, ISCl, ti> Jaiiuarv 1st 
ISCC). 

The population of the State diminished during the war. There were 
nearly forty-nine thousand less inhabitants in ISf!.") than in ISOd. Tiiere 
M-ere eighty thousand less in the city of New York than there were five 
years before. Tin's (iiminution may be attributed to various causes 
directly or indirectly comiocted with the war. The total ])opnhition of 
the State at the close of 1S(),5 was about four millions. 

Little of special historic importance occurred in the State after 
the close of the war until the meeting of tJie Constitutional Conven- 
tion, in lS(i7. The Legislature, early in ISdO, passed resolutions, bv 
a large majority in both branches : (1) That no State in which rebel- 
lion had existed sliould l)e admitted to share in the national legislation 
until it should be presented in the attitude of loyalty and harmony in the 
person of representatives whose loyalty eould not be (piestioned ; 
(2) that the nation, by its professions and acts from the beginning of 
the war, and especially by accepting the President's proclamation of 
emancipation, and an amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery, 
stands pledged to the world, to humanity, and, above all, to the freed- 
men, that in all lawful ways the liberty and civil rights of every human 
being subject to the Government of the United States shall be protected 
and enforced, regardless of race, color, or condition, against every 
\\rongfnl o]iposing law, ordinance, custom, or prejudice ; and '' that the 
spirit which formed and organized and developed to the present strength 
that [lolicy has not fulfilled its allotted work until every subject of that 
Government stands not only free, but e<pial before the law." 

The Legislature of lS(i7 adopted the Fourteenth Amendment to the 
National Constitution proposed by Congress, which guaranteed equal 
rigiits to every (utizen of whatever hue or social condition ; defined tiie 
status in regard to public offices of men who had engaged in the i-ebel- 
lion ; dc(-lared the validity of the national debt, and forI)ade the ]>ay- 
ment of any part of the Confederate debt by the nation or a State. 

An act was passed for increasing the State tax for the support of 
common schools, declaring that all the schools of the State, including 
normal schools, should be " free," and providing for the establishment 
of additional normal schools in different parts of the State. 

The Legislature also passed an act making eight hours' labor a legal 
day's work. This did not apply to farm laborers or men hired by the 
week, month, or year, nor did it prevent the making of cmitracts for any 
leiiirth of time. 



540 THK KMIMKi: ST ATI".. 

In .March (1S<)7) a convuntion to consider a revision of tliu State 
Constitution was autliorized. Delegates were chosen in April. The 
(!onvention assembled in the State Capitol on June 4-th. William 
A. Wheeler, of Franklin County (afterward Vice-President of the United 
States), wiis appointed President, and Luther Caldwell, of Chemung, 
Secretary. The numlier of delegates was one hundred and .'^i.xty, of 
whom ninety-seven were Kepnhlicans and si.xty-three were l)enK)crats. 
In Sopti'inlier the Convention took a recess. It reassem!)led on Xovem- 
l)er I2tli, and c-(>ntinued its sessions into ISt'.S, hohling the meetings 
after .lanuary 1st in the City Hall, at AUnmy. 

Various amendments were discussed. Some were adopted, by the 
provisions of which the right of suffrage was conferred on all male in- 
habitants of the age of twenty-one years and upward, without distinction 
of color ; the payment of the canal and other State debts was secured ; 
the time of office of Senators was extended to four yeare ; tiie Assembly 
was increased to one hundred and thirty-nine members ; the Court of 
Appeals was organized with a chief-justice and six associate justices ; 
the existing Supreme Court organization was retained, with certain 
additional provisions for the despatch of business — the judges to be 
chosen by the people, ami to hold their oflices for fourteen years, or 
until the}- attain the age of seventy years. Provision was also made for 
sulimitting to the people in 1873 the (piostion whether such judges 
should continue to be elected, or whether the jiosition should be filled 
by appointment. The remaining provisions were substantially the same 
as the Constitution of 1S4<). 

The amended Constitution was submitted to the ]ieo]>le at the general 
election in the fall of iSti'J. The portions concerning the judiciary, 
taxation, and Negro suffrage were voted upon separately. The whole 
amended Constitution was rejected by the people by a negative majority 
of ()(),5'21 votes, excepting the judiciary portion. That received an 
affirmative majority of 670S votes. The amendment-iu favor of Xegro 
.■rulTrage was rejected by a negative majority of 32,(5(U votes. 

During the autumn of 1SG7 Cornell University, one of the most use- 
ful of the literary and scientitic institutions in the State of Now York, 
was opened, under favorable auspices, at Ithaca. It was founded by 
Ezra Cornell, with the leading object in view of promoting instruction 
in agricultural science and the mechanic arts, and the literal and prac- 
tical education of the industrial classes in tlie several pursuits and pro- 
fessions in life, witlmut excluding other scientific ami classical studies, 
including military tactics. The State endowed the institution with the 
proceeds of nine hundred and ninety thousand acres of public lands, its 



CORNELL UNIVERSITV ENDOWMENTS. 541 

share of the domain given by Congress for sucli a pnrpose. Tlie founder 
gave S5<iO,0no, and he and others afterward added $', <*"",""" to the 
endowment funds. The institution is thorougldy et|uipped with build- 
ings and apparatus, and a library of about forty-si.x thousand volumes. 

At the Xoveniber election, in IStlS, the Democrats elected tlieir can- 
didate for Governoi- of JSew Yorlv, Jolm T. Hoffman, by a majority 
of twenty-eight thousand votes, while the Republicans elected a majority 
of the members of the Legislature. At the same time General Ulysses 
S. Grant, the Republican candidate, was elected President of the United 
States by a large majority over Horatio Seymour, the Democratic can- 
didate, with Schuyler Colfax, Vice-President, ^fr. Seymour received a 
majority of ten thousand votes in his own State, while a majority of the 
Congressmen to represent New York were chosen by the "Republicans. 



o^ 



Tin; K.Ml'IKK STATK. 



(JllAPTKIi XXXIX. 



TiiK first administration of Governor Hoffman* (1S69-71) was dis- 
tinijuislied l)v few important events in the liistorv of New York. The 

Uepuhliciin Legishiture by concur- 
rent resolution (1869) adopted the 
Fiftcentli Anieiidiiient to tlie Na- 
tional Constitution ])roposed by Con- 
gress in the following words : 

" Akticle XV. Section 1. The 
right of the citizens of the United 
States to vote sliall not be denied or 
abridged by the United States or any 
State on account of race, color, or 
previous condition of servitude. 

" Section 2. The Congress shall 
have power to enforce this article by 
appropriate legislation. '" 

This resolution Avas vehemently 
opposed l)y the Democratic members 
of the Legislature, and was carried by a strict party vote of IT to 15 in 




the Senate and 72 to -iT in the Assembly. 



The governor 



lid not com- 



* Jolin Thompson Hoffman descended from Martin Hoffman, who came to New York 
from Hiillniid in 1671. His jrnindfatlicr was Philip Livinsstnn Ilolfman. a irrandson of 
Philip Livingston, of Livingston Manor. His father, Adrian Kissam Hoffman, after 
brief service in the navy, took up liis residence at Sing Sing, N. Y., where his only son, 
John T., was born January 10th, 1828. At the age of eighteen he was graduated witii 
honors at Union College, N. Y. He studied law with the late General Aaron Ward, and 
was admilled to the bar on his twentylirst birthday. A year before, he was a member of 
the Slate Cciilral Committee of a wing of tlie Democratic Party. In 1849 he removed to 
tlie city of New Yorli and formed a law partnership, soon rising to distinction in his pro- 
fession. In 18.">4 he became a member of the Tammany Society, and was jirominent in 
local politics. In 1860 he was elected Recorder of New York — the principal jvidge of 
crimiii.d jurisdiction ; and in 1865 he was elected mayor of the city over several opposing 
candidates. In 1868 he was elected Governor of the State of Xew York by the Demo- 
cratic Party by a jnajority of over twenty -seven thousand votes, and was re-elected in 
1870 by a majority of thirty-three thousand. In 1873 he retired from public life. Gov- 
ernor Hoffman's administration was conspicuous for the creation of the Constitutional 
Conunission of 1872. which was his own de\nce. The Legislature aiilhori/.ed it. and 



A REACTIO.NAUV MOVEMENT. 543 

mniiicatc tliis action to the proper authority at Washington until re- 
fpiested to do so by tlie Assistant-Secretary of Stilte. 

At the general election in I^oveniber the political aspect of the State 
was entirely changed. At the opening of the sessions of tiie Legislature 
in ISTO, the Democrats had the ascendancy in both Houses. There 
were eighteen Democrats and fourteen Repal)licans in the Senate, and 
seventy-two Democrats and fifty-six Republicans in the Assembly. On 
the first day of the session the notorious William M. Tweed, soon to be 
convicted as a plunderer of the public treasury in New York City and 
to be imprisoned for his crimes, offered in the Senate a series of resolu- 
tions withdrawing the assent of tlie State to tiio ratification of the 
Fifteenth Amendment. After reciting in the preamble the proposed 
Amendment, it was 

" Iiisolord, That the Legislature of the State of New York refuses 
to ratify the above-recited proposed amendment to the Constitution of 
the Tnited States, and withdraws altsolutely any expression of consent 
heretofore given tiiereto, or ratification thereof. 

'• Re-iolval^ That the governor be reipiested to transmit a copy of 
these resolutions and preamble to the Secretary of State of the United 
States at Washington, and to every member of the Senate and House of 
Representatives of the United States, and the governors of the several 
States." 

Tiie Legislature of 1S72 rescinded these resolutions by an ovcrwliehn- 
ing majority. 

Dnring the session of 1870, the charters of the cities of Albany and 
New York were amended. That of the latter ostensibly restored self- 
government to the people of the city. Thenceforward the Mayor, Com- 
mon Councilmen, Corporation Council, and the Comptroller were elected 
by the people. A Department of Public Works was created, which 
embraced the Street and Aqneduct Departments ; also a Department of 
Docks. The heads of these departments, as well as of a Department of 
Public Parks, a Fire, Ilcaltli, and Police Department, were appointed 
by the mayor under the new charter, an instrument obtained for a sin- 
ister purpose, as we shall perceive presently. 

Dnring this session an important change was made in the jjublic- 

Governor Hoffman appointed thirty-two citizens, composed of an equal number of Demo- 
crats and Republicans, to revise liic Slate Constilutiou. The labors of tliat eoniniission 
were of vital importance, rendering subsequent reforms in the administration of public 
affairs practicable. It was durin.s his administration that the exposures of the " Tweed 
Ring" were made. For his veto of the City Charter presented by the Committee of 
Seventv the governor save satisfactory constitutional reasons. 



.".44 TIIK K.Ml'IKE ST.VTK. 

school system in tlie city of Xew York. Tlio Board of twuiity-oiie 
iSchool C'oiiiiuissioiiers was dissolved and a new Hoanl was created, con- 
sisting of twelve members appointed l>y tiiu mayor, wiio were to lioid 
office until 1S71, after which their successors were to be elected l)y tlie 
people. As usual, the subject of common schools occupied a large s])ace 
in the governor's annual message. He reported that the receipts of the 
Common School Fund in ISf!^ amounted to Sl",5"",0flO, of wliicli 
amount S5,r>0o,O(j{) had been a})plied to tlie payment of teachers" wages 
during that year. There had l)een expended for the lil)raries, $20,72(1 ; 
for school apparatus, $2.'U,432 ; for the support of schools for colored 
children, S'>-iJ<5-"», a'ltl S2,n(X>,000 for school-houses. In 11,731 school 
districts, !t71,."')no children had been taught by 27,000 teachers. The 
libraries contained an aggregate of 1, 000,000 vohmies. Tlie National 
Census for 1870 gave to the State a pii])ulation of 4,.'i74,7ii:', or an in- 
crease of nearly half a million in ten years. 

Tlie elections in the State of Xew York in the fall of 1S70 residted in 
the success of the Democratic ticket by a majority of about tliirty thou- 
sand, (rovernor Ilotfiuan was re-elected. The Democrats secured a 
little more than one lialf of the representatives of tlie State in Congress. 
The two liianclies of tlie Legislature were respectively almost equally 
divided politically, and a tie was produced in the Assembly by the 
compulsory resignation of a memlier from New York City because of 
liis misconduct in the Legislative Chamber. 

At midsummer (1871) a serious riot occurred in the city of New 
York between two Irish religious factions — namely, the " Orangemen" 
(Protestants) and the " Ribbon Men" (Roman Catholics). As the 
annual parade of the former was usually an incentive to personal col- 
lisions, the police autlu>rities had forbidden it, but at the recjuest of 
Governor Hoffman the order was revoked. The parade took place. A 
large body of both police and military turned out to protect tlie proces- 
sion. At one point a mob attacked the marcliing line, and before order 
was restored several persons were killed. 

Again the ever-oscillating ])olitical poiuhiluiu in the State of New 
York went to the Repul)lican side in the fall, giving to the Senate 
twenty-four Republicans of tlie thirty-two members, and to the Assem- 
bly ninety-seven Republicans and thirty-one Democrats. This result was 
largely occasioned by the discovery during the summer of immense 
frauds perpetrated by municipal officers in the city of New York. The 
conspiratore concerned in these frauds are known in local history a.s " The 
Tweed Ring,'" or the " Tammany Ring." For several years tlie metrop- 
olis was virtually ruled by William M. Tweed, a chair-maker by trade. 



PLUNDERING OF THE N. Y. CITY THEASIIIY. 545 

and a politician of tlie baser sort by profession. Active, pushing, un- 
scrupulous, he had worked his way up through petty municipal offices 
to the position of Supervisor of the County of New York, chairman of 
that Board, and Deputy Street Commissioner in 1863. The latter office 
placed him virtually at the head of the public works of the citv, and gave 
him alnujst unlimited control of the public expenditures. At about the 
same time he was chosen Grand Sachem of the Tammany Society, wliieh 
position endowed him with immense political power. This power, by 
means of his otSces in the municipal government and the patronage at 
his command, he was able to wield with mighty force, lie took advan- 
tage of this power to procure for himself election to the State Senate for 
three consecutive terms — 1807 to 1S71. Corrupt officials and hungry 
politicians swarmed around him. With three or four shrewd confidants 
— men who before had enjoyed a fair reputation for honor and honesty 
— he organized a system for plundering the public treasury unprece- 
dented in boldness and extent. It comprehended the expenditure for 
streets, boulevards, parks, armories, public buildings, and improvements 
of every kind, in which the spoils were divided, ^??'o rata, among tlie 
conspirators. These spoils consisted of sixty-five to eighty-tivo per cent 
of the public money paid to contractors and others, who were encouraged 
to add enormous amounts to their bills, often ten times the amount of 
an honest charge.* 

To render plundering more secure, Tweed procured from the Legis- 
lature amendments to the charter just mentioned, l)y which the execu- 
tive power of the city was vested in the ma^'or and the heads of depart- 
ments, who were appointed by him. The uuvyor appears to have been 
one of the " ring"' of conspirators, :uid appointed Tweed to the im])or- 
tant office of Commissioner of Public Works. Tweed's confederates 
were placed at the head of other important departments connected with 
the city finances. The power of auditing accounts was taken from the 
supervisors and given to a Board of Audit, composed of the Mayor, 

* For example : " On one occasion tlie sum of .^l,r)()0.000 was jrranteil for pretended 
labor and expense of material, when a fair and liberal allowanee woidd have Ix^en only 
^•if>4,0IKl. The sum autliorized by the Leirislatnre to be expended in the erection of a 
new county court-house in the city was ij!2.')0.000 ; in 1871, when it was yet unfinished, 
^8.000,000 had ostensibly been spent upon it. Whenever any contractor or mechanic 
ventured to remonstrate, he wjis silenced by a threat of losing the city patronage or of 
non-payment for work already done ; and so conscientious men were often forced to 
liecomc the confederates of thieves. A .secret record of these fraudulent transactions was 
kept in the auditor's office under the title of " County Liabilities." The incumbent of 
that office was a supple instnuiient of the plunderers, and ditl their bidding." — Lomng'i 
Hiatury i>f Xew York City, vol. ii.. p. 806. 



540 TlIK K.MPIIU: STATE. 

Comptroller, Connnissioner of Public Parks, ami Commissioner of 
I'lihlic, Works,* who were the chief conspirators. 

The scheme for plunderin<jj the city treasury was now complete, and 
it was nseil with a free hand for the next tifteen montiis. In order to 
evade joint rcsponsihiHty, tiie I'oard of Audit deiei^ated thiiir ))o\ver to 
the city auditor, wiio was one of their willinj^ tools. lie signed all the 
fraudulent i)ills often without examiniiii^ them, and paid over to the 
chief conspirators their commission of sixty-tive or eighty-Hve per cent 
on the amount so audited. Within the space of less than four months 
the sum of !?t^i,;;')12,n()il was paid from the city treasury, of which 
$5,7U',U(Hl was ostensibly on account of the new court-house.- At 
least §5,000,000 of the $0,812,000 went iuto the pockets of the chief 
conspirators and their associates. 

Their " siii found them out." Tiie sheriff of ^^ew York happened 
to place an honest man in the auditor's otHce, named John Copeland. 
lie stumbled upon the record of '' County Liabilities. " He made an 
exact copy of it, and showed it to the sheriff. The latter used it in 
endeavors to force the " ring" to pay a claim he held against the city. 
Tiie conspirators refused compliance with his demand, and he threatened 
to publish the record in the y^eio l^ork Dallij Times. Alarmed, they 
at once sent the auditor to negotiate with the sheriff, who, they sup- 
posed, was at a sporting tavern in a remote part of the city. Failing to 
find him, the auditor was ri'turning, when he was thrown from his car- 
riage and mortally hurt, lie never regained consciousness. 

For several months the sheriff imsuccessfully pressed his claim. At 
length he gave the damaging document to the proprietor of the Xeir 
Yurk Times, and in July, 1S71, the tell-tale items were spread over its 
pages for the public eye. Amazement and hot indignation produced 
inten.se excitement in the city. Tweed, believing his fortress to be im- 
pregnable, sneeringly inquired : 

'■ AVhat are yon going to do about it V 

Day after day the Times dealt ponderous blows at the walls of the 
fortress of the conspirators, each day adding proofs of the black crimes 
of the plunderers. Week after week the inimitable cartoons of Nast in 
Ilarpef''s Weekly struck equally telling blows, for pictures are the liter- 
ature of the uidearned ; and the most illiterate citizen could read and 
understand these cartoons. The cons]iirators were soon compelled to 
yield. 

* A. Oakey Hall, >Iayor ; Riclmrd B. Connolly. Comptroller ; Peter B. Sweeney, 
Commi.ssioncr of Public Parks, and William M. Tweed, Cominis,sioner of Public Works. 



FATE OF THE CHIEF PIANDEUEU. 547 

A uieetinw of citizens was held at the Cooper Union on September 
4th, at which some of tlio principal men of New York City were 
active participants. An Executive Committee of Seventy, composed of 
leading citizens, was appointed, charged with tlie duty of making a 
thorough investigation, and to take action for relieving the city of the 
phinderers. The Cominittee sent forth an " Appeal to the people of 
the State of New York," and then entered upon their duties with vigor. 
Very soon the conspirators in office fled to Europe or were brought to 
the bar of justice. The Attorney-General of the State authorized the 
late Charles O'Conor to act for the commonwealth. He employed 
able assistants. The late Governor Samuel J. Tilden rendered con- 
spicuous service in the matter. On the strength of an affidavit of the 
hitter, Tweed was arrested and held to bail in the sum of $1,000,000. 
He was tried for and found guilty of forgery and grand larceny in IS";^, 
and sentenced to a long imprisonment in the penitentiary on Blackwell's 
Island.* Very soon the city was purged of the plunderers. It was 
estimated that the " ring" had robbed tlie city of fully S20,000,000.t 

The Committee of Seventy not only broke up the gang of official rob- 
bers, but procured an amendment to the city charter, by which the legis- 
lative power was vested in a board of twenty-two aldermen. The mayor 
retained the authority to appoint the heads of the several departments, 
but oidy with the advice and consent of the Board of Aldermen. 

The State Legislature was called upon in JS72 to adjudicate the cases 
of five judges who had been impeached for corrupt official conduct. 
These were G. G. I'arnard, A. Cardozo, J. A. llcCunn, and (Jeorge 
M. Curtis, of New York City, and IT. (i. Prindlc, of Chenango County. 
Thirty-nine articles of impeachment were presented against Barnard, 
mostly accusing him of receiving bribes and corruptly using his judicial 
power. He was found guilty, was removed from the bench, and was 

* In tlie summer of 18T5 Tweed's friends procured liis release on bail. He was imme- 
diately arrested on a civil suit to recover over 10, 000, 000 which he had stolen from the 
city treasury. Bail to tlie amount of ,«;3,000,000 was required. He could not furnish 
it. and he was confined in the Ludlow Street .Tail. One evening at twili.irht, being 
allow^ed to visit his wife in cliarge of the .sheriff, he managed to escape. He Hed to 
Europe, was arrested in a Spanish port, and brought back to New York in failing health, 
and lod.ged in jail. In March, 1876, in a civil suit for $6..')37,000 the .iiny returned a 
verdict for that amount, lie could not pay. He lingered in prison until January 12th, 
1878. when he died at the age of fifty-five years, 

+ The Tweed King were not the only plunderers of (he city at Oiat period. Jlemlwrs 
of the dominant political party in the city Legislature (larirely for political purpo.ses) 
gave in lands and moncv, during three years previous to 1873, no less than .s;4,S!>(!,:!88 to 
one denomination of Cluislians in the city of New York for the support of it-s religious, 
benevolent, and educalional organizations. 



5-18 THI-: KMl'IHK STATE. 

disqualified from ever afterwiuil luddiiig any office in the State of Xew 
York. Cardozo wi.sely resiijiied, and .so avoided a trial. McCunn was 
found guilty, and was removed, and died soon afterward. Curtis and 
Prindle were acquitted. The conduct of tlie four city judges was a part 
of tiie great official conspiracy to plunder tlie treasury of tlic metropolis.* 

The colored j)opulation, availing tliemsclvcs of tlieir ncwly-ac(piired 
political rights, followed the example of the white people, and assembled 
in conventions in various parts of the Union to express their views. 
The tiret iSlafe convention of colored citizens ever assembled in the 
United States met at Troy, N. Y., on May 8tli-9th, 1872. They ex- 
pressed their gratitude to tiic Republican Party as tlieir liberator ; 
endorsed the administration of President Grant ; pledged themselves to 
support the Ive])ublican nomination for President ; asked the Ilepubli- 
can State Convention, then about to assendjle at Elniira, to send a colored 
delegate at large to the Republican National Convention, then soon to 
meet at Philadelphia, and demanded the recognition and the enforce- 
ment of the rights of the colored people. 

The politic-al aspect in the State of New York and of the whole 
country in li<~'2 was peculiar. A large faction of the Re]uiblican Party, 
who had iieconic di.ssatisfied with the administration, had formed a sepa- 
rate organization under the title of Liberal Re]niblicans, and arranged 
themselves in opposition to the great historic party as reiireseiited by 
that administration. At a National Convention held at Cincinnati on 
May 1st, they nominated Horace Greeley, the veteran editor of the 
y^ew York Tribune, for President of the United States. The Dem- 
ocratic leaders, perceiving little hope of success for their party, sought 
and effected a fusion of the Deinocratic and Lilieral Republican parties. 
Mr. (ireeley accepted the nomination from both parties ; but President 
Grant, who had been nominated for re-election, was chosen by a pop- 
ular majority of over seven hundred and sixty-three thousand. Many 

* AVlu'ii TwcL'd wii-s at the lieight of lii.s disreputable career a strange social iilienonienoii 
a|)peai-c(I. Dazzled by the maguitude of city " improvements" under his direction, and 
without in(iiiiriiig whence he procured the means for dispensing his private charities on a 
inunilkent scale, some of the most reputable citizens of Xcw York iniblidy jiroposcd to 
erect a statue of him as a public benefactor ! And when his daughter was maiiied sixty- 
two citizens, some of them of high social position, bestowed upon her wedding gifts to 
the aggregate value of ij;70.1l()0. Only one present was as low as $1(H) in value. Twenty- 
one persons each gave presents valued at iJSKIDO. Ten persons gave $2000 presents, two, 
$2r)0(). and live gave presents to the value of i{!.")()00 each. One of the donors of the latter 
amouiU was a woman. Some of the most munilieent gifts were from persons connected 
with the " ring," but who were then accounted respectable members of society. See 
Lossing's Iliston/ of New York City, p. 807. A list of the names of those donors may be 
found in Stone's IIMm-y nf the City of Xcw York, .Vppendix. 



A CIVIL RIGHTS HILL. 



549 



straight-out Democrats, offended hy tlie nomination of Mr. Greeley, their 
life-long political antagonist, nominated (,'Iiarles O'Conor, of New York, 
and gave liim over twenty -one thousand votes, though lie declined to 
be a candidate. In tlie State of New York Grant's majority over 
Greeley was more than fifty-three thousand, and that of General John 
Adams Dix,* the Eepiibiican candidate for (iovernor of the State, 
was over fifty-five thousand. A large 
majority of the Repu])lican Congress- 
men were elected, and the State Legis- 
lature, at the beginning of 1873, was 
overwhelmingly Republican. A greater 
portion of the Liberal Republican fac- 
tion was afterward alisorbed by their 
ally, tiie Democratic Party, in the 
State and nation, and disappeared as a 
distinct organization. 

Li the spring of 1S73 a Civil Rights 
Bill was passed hy the Legislature, for- 
bidding the nuuiagers of theatres and 
other places of amusement denying 
equal enjoyment of the privileges of 
tiieir exhibitions to any person on ac- 
count of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." During 
the same session a commission appointed to prepare and submit to tiie 
Legislature such amendments to the State Constitution as they might 
deem expedient completed their work and reported amendments of nine 
acts and two new acts. These amendments were referred to the people 
at the next fall election, when they were all ratified. They made some 




o 



.JOHN A. DIX. 



* .lolm Adams Di.x was born at Boscawcn, N. H., on July 24th, 1798 ; (lied at Xcw 
York on April 2Tth, 1879. He entered the army in 1812, a bov fes than fifteen years of 
age ; was promoted to eaptain in 1825. and soon afterward resigned and studied law. He 
made his residence at Cooperstown, X. Y. , and was chosen Secretary of State in ISIili by 
the Democratic Party. In 1845 he was elected to the United Stales Senate to till a 
vacancy. In 1848 he was the unsuccessful Free-Soil candidate for governor. While in 
the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Commerce. He was succeeded in the 
Senate by Mr. Seward in 1849. In 1801 he was Secretary of the Treasury for about three 
months, in the Cabinet of President Buchanan, during which time he issued the famous 
order : " If any man attempts to haul down the American tlag, shoot him on the spot !" 
He was made major-general of volunteers in May. 1861 : commanded at Fortress Monroe 
in 1862, and performed eminent services of various kinds during the war. In 1867-68 
lie was United States Miin'ster to France ; also was made President of the Union Pacific 
Railroad. In 1872 he was chosen Governoi- of New York. In 1855 Governor Dix i)ub- 
lished^l Summei- in Spain and Flunncc containing his reminiscences of travels in Europe. 



550 TIIH K.Ml'IKK STATE. 

Tiotal)le alterations in tlic organic law of tlie State. Among other 
tilings, provision was made for securing equality in the exercise of the 
elective franchise ; for the punishment of givers and receivers of bribes 
at elections ; for the payment of a fixed salary of $15(in to the moml)ers 
of the Lcgisliiture ; for chanicing tlio official term of the srovernor and 
lieutenant-governor of the State from two to three years, making the salary 
of the former §10,000 a year, and of tlie latter S^OOO a year ; for re- 
stricting the Legislature in the management of tlie finances of the State 
and tlie chartering of banks ; also for the preveiition of official corruption. 

For some years a topographical and trigonometrical survey of the 
Adirondack region of tlie State had been prosecuted. In 1873 a com- 
mission appointed to incpiire into the expediency of setting apart a large 
portion of that mountain and lake district as a State Park reported in 
favor of doing so. It has been done. The domain surveyed embraces 
about five tiiousand square miles, and includes all the higher peaks of the 
group and many lakes. The principal object sought in the preservation 
of the forests which clothe the hills was their beneficial climatic effects 
and the furnishing and ])erpetuatiou of a healthful and delightful j)leas- 
ure ground for the people — a vast and magnificent sanitarium. 

At the State election in the fall of 1873, tiie following questions were 
submitted to the voters for their decision : 

1. Sliall the chief judge and the associate judges of the Court of 
Ap]icals and the justices of the Supreme Court be hereafter elected or 
appointed ? 

2. Shall the judges of the Superior Courts of New York City and 
Brooklyn, of the Court of Common Pleas of Buffalo, and the several 
county judges throughout the State be hereafter elected or appointed { 

The nuijority for the election of the higher judges was 204,642 ; for 
the election of lower judges, 208,985. 

Among the important events in the civil history uf the State during 
the administration of Governor Dix was the passage of an act which 
became a law on ^Fay 11th, 1874, for the compulsory education of the 
children of the commonwealth. It met witli much opposition. The 
law went into effect on January 1st, 1875. It requires all ]>arents and 
those who have the care of children between the ages of eight and four- 
teen to see that they are instructed in spelling, reading, writing, English 
gramnuir, geography, and arithmetic at least fourteen weeks in each year, 
either at school or at houu>, unless the physical or mental condition of 
the child may render such instruction inexpedient or impracticable.* 

* Eiglil of llie fourteen weeks' attendnnce at school must be consecutive. .Vnv ]x;rson 
neglecting to comply with this requirement is liable to a flue of ^1 for the first oilencc. 



LAW FOR THE PROTECTION OF ClIILDHEX. 



551 



The political campaign in the State in 1874 was exceedingly interest- 
ing. A ProJiibitioii Convention assciuhlcd at Auburn late in June, and 
nominated ex-Governor Myron II. Clark 
for governor. On the same day in the 
same city tifty temperance Eepuhlicans 
from various parts of the State met and 
pa.sseil resolutions condemnatory of Gov- 
ernor Dix, because he vetoed a so-called 
local-option bill for the repression of 
intemperance.* The Liberal Eepuhli- 
cans met in convention at Albany in 
September, but did not make any uomi- 
nations. The Democratic Convention 
held at Syracuse in the same month 
nominated Samuel J. Tilden for Gov- 
ernor, f The Ilepnblicaii Convention 
■was also hold at Syracuse in September, 
and renominated Governor Dix by ac- 
clamation. The result of the election in Xovenibcr was a Democratic 




SAMCEI, J. TILUKN. 



and for each succeeding violation, after having been properly notified, tlic offender sliall 
jiav ^o for every week, not exceeding tliirteen in a year, during which he shall fail to 
comply with the law. The lines thus collected are to be devoted to school purposes. 

No ])ersou shall euijiloy any child under the age of fourteen years to labor in any busi- 
ness during school hours, unless the child has been instructed, either at school or at 
home, for at lea.st fourteen of the lifty-two weeks next preceding the year in which the 
child shall be employed. The child must also furnish a written certificate of having 
received such instruction. The penalty for violating this provision is $50 for every 
offence. 

In every school district the trustees are required, in September and in Fcbniary, to 
examine into the situation of children employed in all manufacturing e.stabli.shments ; 
and manufacturers must furnish a corre<'t list of all children between the ages of eight 
and fourteen employe<l. 

Trustees are reipiired to furnish textbooks where the parents or guardians are unable 
to do so. If the parent or guardian is luiable to compel the child to attend school, and 
shall so state in writing, the child shall be dealt with as an habitual truant. 

Boards of instruction and tru.stees in cities, school districts, etc., are authorized and 
diieeted to make all needful provisions and regulations concerning habitual truants, and 
children between the ages of eight and fourteen years found wandering about the streets 
during school hours, having no lawful occupation or Iiusine.ss, and growing up in igno- 
rance, and to jirovide for their instruction and confinement where neces-sary. 

* Governor Dix expre.s.sed himself as favorable to the principles of the bill. l)ut vetoed 
it because of its inconsistency and failure to meet the alle.ired exigency. It profi'ssed, he 
said, to leiive to the jieople th<> largest liberty, while it in reality restricted llien\ to the 
narrowest. This sul)ject came up aft<'rwanl. and a local option bill finally iK'came a law. 

f Sanuiel .loncs Tilden was an astute polilician. He was born at New Lebanon, 



652 Tin; K.MIMKK STATi:. 

victory. ]Mr. Tildeu was clioscii cliief iiiaijistriite of the cDininoiiwcalth 
\>y a plurality of 50,317 votes. ^\v. Tildeii took his scat as (Tovoriior 
of the State of New York on Jaiuiarv 1st, 1ST5. 



Columbia County, N. Y., in February, 1814. His pliysical constitution wa-s wcalt from 
infancy. His fallirr biinj; a i«Msoiial and political friend of Martin Van Burcn and oilier 
politicians who composed tlie " Albany Kegency," young Tilden was introduced into 
political circles at ii very early age. He studied law with lienjaniin F. Butler, and 
lieciuno a sound but not brilliant member of the profession. For a while he indidged in 
journalism, establishing the Diiili/ yi'im in New York City in 1S44. llesoon returned to 
Die bar. was elected to the Assendily by the Hemocrats, and was a mendier of llie conven- 
1 ion that revised tlie State Conslilulion in 1H4G. Jlr. Tilden was nnicli sought after as 
<-ouns<'l for <-ori)oral ions. lie was a bitter opponent of thi' Republican Parly, and l)lamed 
President Lincoln for not calling out .WO, 000 troops in ISOl instead of 7.'i,000 to siippress 
the rel)ellion. He and Governor .Seymour were in accord during the war. In 1ST4 
Tilden was elected Governor of New York, and in 1876 he was an unsuccessful candidate 
for the Presidency of the United States. He died at his magnificent seat on the Hudson, 
near Yonkers, in August, ]S8(). leaving a fortune of fully ^.'i, 000, 000. He was never 
married. 



THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION. 553 



CHAPTER XL. 

TirE year 1875 closed tlie lirst century of the life of the Teat 
repulilie of the "West. The notes of preparation for a grand Centen- 
nial celeiiration and an exhibition of tlu! industries of all nations were 
then lieard tlironghout the land. The city of Pliihulelpliia — tlie hirth- 
piaco of tlie repuijjic — was tlie chosen theatre of tlie wonderful disphiy 
to whirh tlie State of !New York made a notable contribution from its 
immense treasnres of production of every sort.* At that (lentemiial 
period — the end of 1ST5 — I propose to close this compendious history of 
the Empire State of the Union. All events before that period have 
passed into the realm of comjileted and permanent history ; all since 
then are components of current history with ever-changing phases, ia 
which living men and women compose the persons of the drama. 

The session of the Legislature began on January (ith, 1875, and 
adjourned on May 22d. Among the more ]'m])ortant acts passed at 
that session were a general law for providing uniformity in the organi- 
zation and administration of savings-banks, f empowering the Super- 
intendent of the Banking Department to grant charters to such in- 
stitutions, limiting the amount of deposits in the name of one person 
to §5000, and prohibiting their loaning money on personal securities 
and dealing in merchandise, or buying or selling exchange or gold and 

* The exhibition was opened on May 10th, 1876, with imposing ceremonies. Tlie 
most distinguished guests present were President Grant and the Emi>eror and Em- 
press of Brazil. After prayers a thousand voices sang a beautiful Centennial Ilymu 
written by .John G. "Whitticr, the Quaker jioet. The exhibition was kept open six months. 
The total number of admissions from the ojiening until the closing was O.fllO.iKir), and 
the total cash receipts for admission was $3,813,72."). The largest attendance for a full 
month was in October, when 2,663,91 1 persons were admitted. Twenty-si.\ nations were 
represented among the produels of industry. 

t The first bank for saxings in the State of New York was opened on Saturday even- 
ing, July 3d, 1819, in a basement room in Chambers Street, New York City. It was the 
fruit of the suggestion and efficient labors of John Pintard. An a.ssoeialion was organ- 
ized by the choice of twenty -six directors, with De Witt Clinton at their head. AVilliam 
Bayard was chosen president. The deposit office was open from six until nine o'clock 
that evening, when .'j!2sn7 had been received from eighty-two depositors. The smallest 
amount deposited was $2 ; the largest amount was 1300. That first savings-hank in New 
York is .still afiourishing in.stltution, located in an elegant banking-house of white marble 
on Bleecker Street. From 1819 until 1883 the aggregate sum of |162,032,ol3 had been 
deposited in that bank from 49U,o-ll persons. 



554 Tin: K.MPIRE STATE. 

silver ; <ilso acts for tlie piiiiisliiiieiit fur lirihery at election ; for i^eneral 
business incorporations ; for tlie prevention of cruelty to cliililren ; for 
rapid transit in the city of New York ; for creatiiij^ a State Board of 
Audit, and for the suppression of intemperance. 

.During the recess of the Legislature several coniniittees of investiga- 
tion performed their tasks. One conniiittee investigated the afifairs of 
th(! (juiirantine, the Board of Ilealth, and the nianngement of emigrants 
and emigration at Castle (Jarilen, New York ; another sought to ascer- 
tain the causes of the rapid increase of crime in the city of New York, 
and another to investigate charges concerning the dehtors' prison in the 
county of New York. Perhaps the most important committee of in- 
quiry was appointed on the recommendation of Governor Tilden in a 
special message for an investigation concerning the management of the 
canals of the State. In that messnge he showed that for five years, end- 
ing September 3()th, 1S74, the total receipts for tolls had been $15,058,- 
301, while the expenses for operating and for ordinary repairs had 
amounted to $9,202, 434, leaving an apparent surplus of $5,855,1)27. 
During the same period the disbursements for crtraordinari/ repairs had 
amounted to $10,960,(144, causing a real deficiency of $5,104,()97. Add- 
ing to this the payment on the canal debt and other outlays on account 
of the canals, an aggregate of over $ll,n()i),()0() was obtained as the 
amount expended by the State in five years for these woiks. The gov- 
ernor declared that the ex])enses for both ordinary and extraordinaiw re- 
pairs had been greatly in excess of what was required, and that there had 
been corrupt and fraudulent contracts for work and materials by which 
the State Treasury had been systematically ]>lniidered, something after 
the methods employed by the '' Tweed Ring" in the city of New York. 

The investigation showed among others as flagrant exhibitions of 
fraud, that the State had paid on ten contracts $l,5»!(i,7('9, while the 
amount to be paid upon the quality of materials exhibited in the pro- 
posals, at contract prices, would have been oidy $424,735. The gov- 
ernor recommended the adoption of measures at once for ascertaining the 
exact financial condition of the canals. It M'as done, and reforms in 
their management ensued. 

There are thirteen canals in the State, two of them belonging to cor- 
porations.* Their total length, with navigable feeders and lakes and 

* These arc the Erie, Cliamiil:iin, Osweiro. C'lienanjo, Cliemuns. Cayiiira and Sciieea, 
Genesee Valley, Oneida ]>ake, Chenanjro Extension, Crooked Lake Canal and Ithaca 
Inlet. The Delaware and Hudson and tlio .lunetion canals belong to corporations. The 
amount of work remnininir to be done on tlie State canals, at the rlose of IHTo, was eon- 
tracted for at an aggregate of $892,397. 



FACULTIES OF TKANSPORTATION. 555 

rivers iirtirieially connected therewith, is 1893 luilcs. The lengtli of the 
canals proper, witii navii-ahle feeders, is 907 miles. Tiie number of 
tons of freight trausported over these canals in IST-I: was 5,SU4-,588. 
The cost of this freight transportatio.a was §4,335,536, and the receipts 
for tolls and freiglits were s6,SS2,921. The canals (excepting two) arc 
the actual jiroperty of tlie people of the commonwealth, and had cost 
them up to 1875, for original construction and subsequent enlargements, 
fully $101,000,11(10. The aggregate cost of the canals and railroads of 
the State, with their equipments, at that time, was $735,Sti2,282, which 
w;i8 equal ti» one third of the gross taxable property of the common- 
wealth, real and personal. 

The railroads within the State are of far more value as vehicles of 
transportation for freight and passengers than the canals. The total 
lengtli of steam railways in 1S75 was 5210 miles, many of them with 
double tracks. There were seventy-six horse railroads, the aggregate 
length of which was 400 miles. The number of passengers carried on 
the steam railways within the State in 1S74 was 34,719,018, and on 
horse railways, 228,372,112, making the total number of jxisscngers 
263,091,130. The receipts from freight carried on steam railroads within 
the State that year amounted to $65,085,604, and from passenger.'^, 
$25,369,850. The receipts from passengers on horse railways were 
$12,003,654, making a total for' passengers and freight of $109,342,029. 
The cost of transportation of freight and passengers on both steam and 
horse railroads in one year was $7ti,027,413. 

These railways and their enormous business had been created in the 
space of forty-four years. The first railway put into operation in the 
State, as we have observed, was completed in 1S31, and connected 
Albany and Schenectady by rail.''' 

The admirable common-school system of the State, so essential to 
the moral, intellectual, and social M'elfaro of the peo])le, has been fre- 
quently alluded to in preceding pages. It has been the object of the 
special care of the electors and the Legislature, and a topic for sugges- 

* The first 16comotive engine constructed in tlie United States was built by a native 
of New York, the late Peter Cooper, in 1830, at his Canton Iron Works, near Balti- 
more. It was made from his o^vn designs, iind was named '" Tom Thumb." It was a 
very small tractor en.ijine— too small for practical use. On a trial trip it drew a car 
with several Baltimorians in it from Baltimore to the Relay Ilotise, a distance of nine 
miles. 

The first actual workina; locomotive built in .Vmerica wa.s made in New York City in 
1830 from plans drawn by V. L. Miller, of Charleston, S. C, and used on a road be- 
tween that city and Ilamltur;;'. It was named " Best Friend." The first projector of 
a land carriage, to be propelled by steam, was Oliver Evans, of Philadelphia. 



o5C TlIK K.Ml'lKi: STATE. 

tions ami expressions of solicitude liy the chief magistrates of the com- 
iiioiiwealtli, for almost half a century. Amj)!e provision has always 
heen made for the sujiport and efficienc}' of the common schools, and 
for the wide distribution of their henefits. Every inhabited portion of 
tiie State has been divided into convenient districts, in each of which a 
scliool is taught some portions of the year, is open to all, and is within 
tlie reach of all. We have already o])served (jiage 360) the origin of the 
conimon-school system in the State, and the metliods used in jirovid- 
ing funds for its support.* 

In his synoptical report to the Legislature (January Tith, 1887), Hon. 
A. S. Draper, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, siiys : " Tlie 
educational work in the State has been a wonderful growth and devel- 
opment. In IS.")*) we were spending $l,r)O(),(ii»0 annually in the sujiport 
of our public schools. During the piust year we spent $l4,(»U(l,U(in. "' 
He then ])ropounded some pertinent questions suggestive of needed im- 
provement in the methods of public instruction, lie asked : " Is our 
education as practical as it might be '. Do we reach all the children we 
ought '. In our ardor over the high schools, which nine tenths of our 
children never reach, have we not neglected the low schools ? Is there 
not too much French, and (ierman, and Latin, and Greek, and too little 
spelling, and writing, and mental arithmetic, and English grammar being 
taught i Are not our courses of study too complex ? Are we not under- 
taking to do more than we are doin<r well ? Are we educating the whole 
man ?" Some wise suggestions follow. 

The State is divided into sixty counties. Tiie tir.st eight counties 
were established in Kis;] — Duchess, Kings, Queens, Orange, Iiiclimond, 
Sulfolk, Ulster, and Westchester. The last one organized was AVyom- 
ing, in 1841. For an account of the organization of each county, with 
a delineation of the seals and the population, etc., see pages 97 and 
DS, and Ajjpendix. 

The building of a new State House was authorized in 18G8, and work 

* There were in the Slate of New York at the close of 1875, 11,787 .school-houses ; 
11,289 school districts, exclusive of cities ; 19,157 teachers employed for the legal school 
term, and 29,977 during every portion of the J'ear. There were 1,0.58,846 children attend- 
ing public schools, and 185,098 of school age in private schools. There were 6207 i>er- 
.sons attending normal schools. In the school district libraries there were 812,655 
volumes. In the Slate were 1,579. .504 persons between the ages of live and twenty- 
one years. The School Fund proiter aniotuited on .January 1st, 1875, to $3,0.54,772, 
and the revenue from it, SjSKS.si;!. Tlie total receipts on account of common .schools 
that year were $12, 510, 302. and the total e.xpcndiluns were $11,305,377. The amount 
paid for teachers' wages w;us $7,843,231. Tlie estimated value of the school-houses and 
sites was $36,393,190. 



FIXAXCKS .VXD POPn.ATIOX. 557 

upon it was Ijegun soon afterward. The limestone and granite for the 
foundation were procured from the Luke Champlain, Adirondaclv, and 
]\loiiawk Valley regions of tlie State. Tiie corner-stone was laid, with 
imposing ceremonies, on June 2itli, 1S71. Already $2,000,000 had been 
expended on the foundation (wiiich rose seven feet above the ground), 
besides $050,000 paid for the land on which it was erected. It is l)nilt 
of drilled granite, four stories in height, two hundred and ninety feet 
wide, and tliree hundred and ninety feet long. Wiien completed it will 
lie one of tlio most costly buildings ever constructed in the United States 
—probably nearly $20,000,000. 

The nominal funded debts of the State on September 3('th, 1875, 
were $2S,32S,l)S0, less the amount of sinking funds pledged for 
their redemption, which was $13,581,382, reducing the actual debt of 
the State to $11, 747, 30-1. The aggregate amount of the bonded debts 
of counties, cities, towns, and villages was very large, but was in rapid 
])rocess of extinction. These debts were largely incurred by giving aid 
to railroads ; for public buildings ; for war and bounty expenses ; for 
roads and bridges, and for water-works and lire apparatus. 

Let us here go forward live years from our intended resting-point, 
and take a general view of tlie Empire State in 1880, as revealed by the 
Tenth Census. 

In size the State of New York is only nineteenth in rank. Its area 
is a thousand sijuare miles less than that of North Carolina, and seven 
thousand less than Michigan. Although its territory includes less than 
one sixty-third of the whole country, its inhabitants then formed more 
than one tenth of the population. Its twenty-live cities contained be- 
tween one lifth and one fourth of the entire urban po])ulation of the 
United States.* 

One half of the inhabitants of the State lived in cities. The number 
engaged in agriculture was less than in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, or in 

* Xew York had drawn freely from and given liberally to the other State.s. In 1880 
there were within its borders natives of Connecticut enonjch Hi make a city as large a.s 
Bridgeport ; of Maine, to repopulate liath ; of Massachusetts, to repeople Lynn or Law- 
rence ; of Pennsylvania, nearly sulbcieni to twice repopulate its Stat'; ca|)ital : of New 
.Jersey, to till Patersou, and more natives of Vermont than in Burlington, Hulland, and 
St. Albans together. Xew York had given to California people enough to populate two 
cities as large iW Sacramento ; to Connecticut, almost enough to stock Hartford with 
men and women ; to Kimsas. enough to make the tlin^c cities of Atchison, Topeka, and 
Leavenworth ; to Ohio, more than enough to make Columbus or Toledo ; to Wiscon-sin, 
in number eipial to three fourths of the population of Milwaukee ; to Iowa, enough to 
fill her foin- largest cities ; to Pennsylvania. lOO.ODO ; to Illinois, 120,000. and to Michi- 
gan twice the population of Detroit. Nearly one tifth of the American-born popidaliou 
of Micliiiran were natives of New York. 



558 TIIK i;.MPll{l-: STATE. 

Oliio. Ill acreage of iiiipruvcd land in farms, it was bcliiiid Iowa. Illi- 
nois, and Ohio ; yet it is second only to Illinois as a farinini; State, 
taking as the basis of comparison the total valne of all farm products 
during the year before the census. Illinois, with i!(!,(}00,(>00 acres and 
-l;'.t!,()00 farmers, produced value of $-204,0(i(),ooo. ^'ew York, with less 
than 18,000,000 acres and 377,000 farmers, produced $178,000,000. 
The as-erago annual yield of the Illinois farmers was a little less tlian $>< 
an acre ; of the Xew York farmers, a little more than Sl(t an acre. 

New York raised more barley than any other State excepting Cali- 
fornia ; more oats than any other State excepting Illinois and Iowa, and 
more rye than any other State excepting Illinois and Pennsylvania. 
liaising more l>uckwheat than any other State, it jiroduced more than 
one third of the entire buckwheat crop of the country. 

The hay croj:* of JS'ew York sur})assed that of any other State. It was 
more than one seventh of the entire crop of the country. It also pro- 
duced one fifth of all the so-called '" Iri.sh" ])otatoes grown in the United 
States, and more than twice as many bushels as Pennsylvania, the second 
potato-producing State in rank. It ]iroduced more than four fifths of 
the total hop crop of the country, and more than ten times that of the 
State next in rank. 

New York is a great fruit-growing State. Its orchards yielded in the 
census year in value one sixth of the total fruit production of the 
Vnited States, and almost twice that of its most successful rival, Penn- 
sylvania. It is also pre-eminently a Jairy State. In the j'ear before the 
census it produced more than one .'seventh of all the l)utter of the 
United States, and nearly one third of all the cheese. 

New York is the foremost mamifacturing State in the Union. It is 
first in the number of establishments ; second in the amount of capital 
invested ; first in the number of liands cm]il()yed ; first in the amount 
of wages 2)aid, and first in the value of manufactured products. It con- 
tained more than one sixth of all the mills, manufactories, and work- 
shops of the United States that produced $500 in 1S79. These estab- 
lishments represented between one sixth and one fifth of all the capital 
invested in .the mechanical and mamifacturing establishments of the 
United States. Those industries gave employment to between one sixth 
and one fifth of all the hands at work in American mills and shops. The 
New York manufacturers paid more than one fifth of the total wages 
given to workingmon and women of this class. Tiie total value of the 
manufactured products in the State was more than one fifth of the total 
for the Union. 

Let us take a brief glance at the products of some of the vast and 



PRODUCTS OF IXDISTRY. 559 

varied industries of the State in comparison witli the same products in 
tlie M-hole T'nion, in 1879. New York produced nearly one sixth in 
value of all the agricultural implements made in the country ; nearly 
one third of all the baking products ; more than one half of the cheese, 
and nearly one half of the butter ; between one third and one half of the 
men's clothing, and nearly two thirds of the women's clothing produced in 
manufactories ; more than one fifth of the foundry and machine-shop 
]iroducts ; between one fifth and one quarter of the furniture ; more 
than one third of the hosiery and knit goods ; nearly a (juaitur of the 
jewelry : more than one third of the beer and ale ; more than one half 
of the millinery and lace goods ; two tiiirds of the ]iianos ; between one 
third and one half of the paints ; more than half the perfmnery and cos- 
metics ; nearly one third of the books and periodicals ; one ijuarter of 
the soap and candles ; nearly one half of the refined sugar and molasses ; 
more than one sixth of the smoking and chewing tobacco and snuff, and 
between one third and one half of the cigars and cigarettes. 

New York then (ISTU) led the country in shi|)building, bc)th in the 
nundjer of establishments devoted to the construction and repair of 
steam and sailing vessels and boats of all kinds, and in the annual value 
of all the products. While iietween one fifth and one fourth in vahie of 
all American vessels were built in the State, nearly one third of them 
were owned by !New Yorkers. 

Of all the steam craft owned in the United States, nearly one quarter 
belonged to Xew York, while the tonnage of these vessels was more 
than a quarter of the tonnage of the whole country, and their value 
nearly one third of the total value. New York had between one sixth 
and one fifth of the sailing-vessels of America ; more than one fourth in 
tonnage and more than one fourth in value. Of the canal-boats of the 
country, New York owned about five eighths in value. In rank it is 
first in maritime commerce."' 

Let us turn from a consideration of the pre-eminence of New York in 
agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, to that of its raidv in intelli- 
gence and accumulated wealth. 

While New York had one; tenth of the population of the republic, its 
expenditures for popular education were more than one eighth of that 
of the whole Union. So general were the blessings of education dif- 
fused throughout the commonwealth, that only 4.2 per cent of the adult 
people were unable to read and 5.5 per cent unable to write. In 1875 
the State spent nearly $290,000 in its nine normal schools for t he edu- 

* I am largely indebted to a writer in the New York Sun, in 1883, for the analysis and 
comparisons of tlie slalistieal faets lure given. 



5(J0 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

cation of teachers for tlie public schools, unci $18,000 for the aid of 
teachers" institutes. In the State were then nearly 25u academies or 
academic departments in I'nion sehools, 'j7 colleges and universities, 
7 scientific schools, 13 schools of theology, -t law schools, and 14 
ine<lical sehools. 

A trustworthy measure of the intelligence of a large community is 
the activity of its printing-presses, especially those which distribute in- 
telligence through news[)ai)ers and periodicals. Xew York produced 
nearly one third in value of the books publisheil in the United States. 
It also issued one eighth of all the periodicals published in the country ; 
also nearly one eighth of the newspapers issued. Of the aggregate cir- 
culation of the daily newspapers in the Union, I^ew York furnished be- 
tween one fourth and one third. Of the aggregate circulation of the 
weeklies and all other periodicals in the United States, it also furnished 
between one fourth and one third. 

The assessed valuation of real estate and personal property in tlie State 
of Xew York in the census year was equal in amount to one seventh of 
the valuation of the entire real and personal propeity of the whole 
Republic. It was also almost exactly the same in amount as that of the 
si.K Now England States— S2,(ir)l,9-tO,OOn. One third of the registered 
bonds of the United States were held in New York — S21(i, iiO-l-,:^.")!!. 
But its enormous share of the wealth of the country cainiot be computed 
from facts found in the census reports. Its financial interests are every- 
where — in railways, in mines, in farms and factories in every State and 
Territory'. 

In nearly all the foregoing comparisons the figures of New York's part 
in the various forms of industry are merely the tigures of its investments 
within its own borders. Great as is New York's ratio to the United 
States in poj)ulation, it is greater still in almost every branch of human 
industry, and in the prosperity resulting therefrom. 

New York is truly great in its magnificent and varied charities, public 
and private, and its provision for the promotion of morality and religion. 
Its institutions for special education — for the nmte and the blind — its 
numerous reformatories, asylums, hosjiitals, and charitable foundations 
of every kind, as well as })enal institutions, are of the liighest order in 
equipment ami management. The State abounds in literary and scien- 
tific societies ; in large publie and private libraries ; in works and schools 
of art, and ample appliances for the intellectual and social advancement 
of every citizen of the commonwealth, of MJiatever race, color, or 
condition. 

There were in the State, in 1875, 6320 church organizations, 6243 



THE HUDSON niVKK AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 



561 



cliureli edifices, 6115 clerjjjyinen, 1,177,537 cliurcli-inembers, with an 
adherent population of 3,93-l,690. The aggregate vahie of church 
property of every kind in the State was nearly $11S, (10(1,000. 

The Hudson River, the grand and beautiful " Kiver of the Moun- 
tains," as we have observed in the first chapter of this work, is clustered 
with the most interesting legendary and historic associations from the 
Wilderness to the Sea, a distance of three hundred miles or more. Its 
upper waters witnessed the fierce strifes for mastery between contending 
tribes of barbarians before the advent of Europeans, and the struggles 




VAN RENSSELAKK MANOR HOUSE. 

(From a drawing; made in 18(56.) 



for dominion of tlie French and English in later times. Then followed 
the victories of peace— the gradual blossoming of a large portion of that 
region into a paradise of beauty under the hand of skilled industry. 

Tlie tide-water region of the Hudson for fully sixty miles from the 
ocean has been for more than two centuries a theatre of most renuirkable 
social and historic events. The principal of these have been briefly 
noted in preceding pages. 

Among the social events on tlic borders of the great river, the creation 
of " patroons" and manorial estates and privileges at the earlier period 



5C2 



THi: K.MPIHK STATK. 



of the liistory of the commonwealth appear the most conspicuoiis. Of 
these the manors of llen.ssehierwyck, of Livingston, of N'^an Cortlandt, 
and of Fhilipse are most prominent. 

The Van Kenssehier ^fanor and patrooiishi)i was, as we liave ohserved, 
tlie first created, and snrvi\'p<l all the otiu-rs, its titles and privile<;es expir- 
ing with General Stejilien van llensselacr in ls.".'.t. Tlu^ tyrant was made 
to Killian van Rensselaer, of Ainsterdain, under a charter of privileges 




'^J> ■ 



.iOlIN AM) MAHV I.lVIXdSTOX. 

and exemptions passed in IfiSO. Van Rensselaer had co-partners at 
first. In 1085 the A^an Rensselaer family became sole owners of the 
vast estate. The Manor House, modified several years ago, stands upon 
the site of the original Van Rensselaer dwelling, in the northern sulnirhs 
of the city of Albany. 

The Livingston iliuior was created by a preliminary act of Governor 
Dongan in l(i8o. Kobrit Livingston, thetirstof tlie iianie in America,* 



* See page 108. The common ancestors of the Livingstons in America were .John 
T.iviiiirsfon anil liis wife .Mary. He was a greiit-great-grandson of Lord Livingstone, 
Karl of Linlilliiiow 8collan<l. He was e.xiled, and went to Uolterdam, in Holland, where 
Robert learned the Dutch lanjriia,!.'e, afterward eniisrrated to America, settled at Albany, 
as we have observed, and became the first Lord of the JIanor of Livingston. 

The above delineations of the heads of .John and Mary Livingston I made many years 
ago from the original portraits then in the possession of Colonel Henry A. Livingston, of 
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 



THE MANORS OX THE IIL'DSOX. 



563 



married the wealthy widow of Rev. Nicholas van Rensselaer— Alida, 
daughter of Colonel Peter Schuyler, of Albany— in 1G78. lie bought 
of the Indians sixty thousand acres of land on the eiist side of tiie 
Hudson River, opposite the Kaatsbergs (Catskill Mountains). At the 
time of the creation of the manor, in 1715, it had increased by subse- 
quent purchases to about one hundred and tifty thousand acres. The 




LIVrNGSTON LOWER MANOR HOUSE. 



patent given by Dongan was confirmed by royal authority, with the title 
of " ilanor of Livingston," and in 171<) the proprietor exercised 
manorial privileges.* He paid an annual tribute to the crown of three 
dollars and fifty cents. The nunior was afterward divided into the 
Upper and Lower Manor. The latter was called Clermont. It was the 
home of Robert R. Livingston, the eminent chancellor. The manor 
bouse is not far from Tivoli, on the Hudson, f 

* The privileges of tlie patrooiis have ah-cady been detiiied. Kobert LiviiiirslDii, by 
virtue of these privileges, took his seat in the Provincial Legislature in ITUi. lie hail 
already built a substantial manor house of stone on a grassy point upon the bank of the 
Hudson, at the mouth of Roeleffe Jansen Kill, now Ancram Creek. 

f The above picture is that of Clermont, or the Lower Manor House, built by Chan- 
cellor Livingston, a little below tlu^ old Manor House. After the British burnt Kingston 
In the fall of 1777, they proceeded to Livingston's manor and burnt both of the houses, the 
chancellor's mother then oerupying the older one. They were both soon rebuilt. The 
chancellor erected a more spacious and elegant dwelling, and, as before, called the place 



;")(;4 



TIIK K.MI'IKK STATE. 



Steplicn van Cortlandt,* one of the governor's council at New York, 
pnnrliased large tracts of land in Westchester County, and in 1(197 
eighty-three thousand acres were by royal autliority erected into " the 
lordship and manor of Conrtlandt. " The manor and its privileges were 
lield liv the tenure of ])aying an annual tribute to the crown of five 
















"_<^ — 



VAX lOUTI.AXDT MANOR IIOI'SE. 



dollars. The Van (Jortlandt ]\Janor House was erected at the beginning 
of the last century by John van Cortlandt, son of the first " lord of the 
manor." It stands on the right side of the Croton Kiver, near where 
that stream enters the Hudson. 

Late in the seventeenth century Frederick r]iiii|iset l^ought of the 

Clermont. The house Is 3'et standing, and is preserved in its original .style bj- its present 
owners, the Clarkson family, relatives of the l.iviiigsloiis. It has a river front of one 
hundred and four feet, with very extensive and beautiful jrrounds around it. 

* Stephen van Cortlandt Avas a sou of Orloff Stevens van Cortlandt. who emigrated to 
New Amsterdam in Van Twiller's time. Orloff came from South Ilolland, and was soon 
engaged in public employment, holding alternately several civil offices, lie was a burgo- 
master .several years, and being " diligent in business." became wealthy. His wife was 11 
sister of Govert Loockermans. His daughter Maria married .leremiali van Rensselaer, 
tlic second Lord of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck. At the time of ]iis death, about 1088, 
his son Stephen was a iirospeious mercliant. The family name was Stevens, van 
(from) Courtl.indt. descendants of the Dukes of Courllnndl or Courland. in l{u,s.sia. Tlie 
lirst Lord of the .Manor married Crerlru<le Schuyler, and died in the year 17(10. 

t Tlie Philipse (Phillips) family descended from the Viscounts Felyps, f)f Bohemia. 
The first emigrant to New Netherland, Frederick Philipse, spelled his name Vrederyck 



THE PHILIPSE MANOR. 



oIJa 



Indians large tracts of land on both sides of the Pocan-te-co Creek, in 
Westchester County, fronting on the Hudson Tliver, ,ind comprising 
about three hundred and ninety square miles of territory. In ItiDJi the 
domain was, by royal authority, erected into the " Lordship and Manor 
of Philipsebnrg," with all its privileges, subject to an annual tribute to 
the crosvn of a little less than five dollars. The manor house was 




PniLirSE LOWER MANOR HOUSE. 

strongly built of stone in IfiSO, at the mouth of the Po-cnn-te-co at 
Tarrytown, with port-holes for cannons in the high cellar walls, and was 
called Philipse Castle. There the family lived until the lower manor house, 
yet standing, was built at Yonkers in 174.5. Its interior exhibits some 
fine specimens of architecture executed nearly a century and a half ago. 

Felypsen. The initials of his name— V. F.— may he seen on the wind-vane of the Sleepy 
Hollow Church, near Tarrvtown. He arrived at New Amsterdam in 1658, purohased a 
large estate there and on the shores of the Hudson, and became one of tlw fouiuUrs of 
the city of New York. 

The'last " Lord of the Manor" wsts Frederick Philipse, who Wius at one tune a mem- 
ber of the Colonial Assembly and colonel of militia. .V the breaking out of the oUl war 
for independence, he took the position of a firm supporter of the Crown. He hually felt 
compelled to abandon his home and take refuge with the British army m New \ork, 
whence he emiiarked for Emrlan.l. His estates were contiscated. The Bnt.sh Govern- 
ment .-ave him about .$H<)(MK)0 as a comix-nsation for his losses. Colonel Plnlhps was an 
extremely large man. On account of his bulk, his wife seldom rode in the Siuue earruigo 
with him. 



r)06 



THE EMl'im: S'l'.VTE. 



Tlio city of Xew York, wliicli liad l)eon scatlied hy flaiiic! ;inil had lain 
])roiic under the lieel of JJritish military power for more than seven 
years, at once began its marvellous inarch toward greatness after peace 
was restored. It very soon hecame the chief commercial mart of the 
nation. It was the jiolitical capital of the State for several years,* and 
the iirst seat of the National Government. At the close of the war it 
was, in poinilation, only an imusually large village ; at the beginning of 
this century it embraced over sixty thousand inhabitants. 

New York City has doubled its original territorial area within a few 
years, and has now (1SS7) fully a million ami a half of inhabitants. It 




COVl'.UN'MKNT IIOfSE. 



lias become a mighty magnet, attracting everything, heucc its marvellous 
growth by accretion. Possessors of wealth, of genius, and of enterprise 
have come to it from all parts of the republic to enjoy its manifold advan- 
tages of education for their children, the cultivation of aesthetic tastes, 
the blessings of scientific instruction, the facilities of commercial life, the 
chances of winning fortunes, and tlio ])leasures of almost boundless social 
privileges aiid enjoyments. 

]>efore and around New York City sprcails out a mngnificcnt harl)or, 
spacious enough to float the navies of the M'ofld. ( hic of the most 



* On the south-east side of the Bowling Green a spacious and elegant mansion was 
l)uilt in 1790, for the purpose of a residence for the President of the United States. It 
wa.s then siipjiosed New York City would be the jiermanent seat of the National Crovern- 
inent. When that Govennnenl was transferred to Philadelphia, this mansion was devoted 
to the use of the governors of the State of New York, while the city was the seat of the 
State Government. In it Governors George Clinton and .lohn .Jay resided, and it was 
known as the Government House. It was built of refl briek. with Ionic columns forming 
a i)ortieo in front. The building stood on slightly elevated groiuid. 



THE METROPOLITAN CITY. 



567 



wonderful results of inoderii engineering skill — a suspension bridge — 
unites the city in loving embrace to Brooklyn, its siiperl) off8j)ring, of 
eight hundred thousand inhabitants. Near the portals of the city 
seaward stands the stupendous statue of Libeett Enlightening the 
World, wrought by Bartholdi, of Paris, and presented l)y the ]>cople of 
France. She bears aloft a mighty torch blazing with electric liglit, 




LIBERTY ESLIGHTEXING THE WORLD. 



which spreads illumination over the broad bay, the great city, and its 
suburlian municipalities. 

" New York City is now the metropolis of the republic. By tlie close 
of this century it will probably be, in population, wealtli, cultivation, and 
every element of a state of high civilization, the second city in the world. 
To the eye of the optimist the time appears not far distant when it will 
be the cosraetropolis. "* 



* Lossing's nhtory of New York City, p. 866. 



568 THE EMPIRE STATE. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

Let us here take a 1)rief retrospect of tlie life nf the Empire State. 

Tlie Dutcli, who lirst settled in the territory of New Yoriv and 
founded the city hy tlio sea, gave special attention to the nurture of 
religion and learning. As we have ol)served on page St, a clergynian 
and a schooi-teaclier came from Holland to Manhattan together. It was 
ordered in the charter of the Dutch AVest India Company that the 
minister and schoolmaster should walk iiand in hand in the high employ- 
ment of educating the head and heart. 

There were mend)ers of the Dntch Reformed Church among the early 
traders at Manhattan, and a congregation was formed liy Ucv. Jonas 
Michaelas in l<i2S. Tiu; function.s of hoth minister and schoohnaster 
were performed l)y iiim until he was sncceeded hy Dominie liogardns, 
in 1(533, when .V<iam Roelandscn hecanie the schoohna.ster. The Dutch 
had l)(!en accustomed to the l)lessings of free schools in their fatherland, 
and they at once established one at Manhattan, which has survived until 
now, and is a very flourishing parochial school of the Collegiate (Dutch 
Reformed) Church of New York City.* 

* Thi.s sclidcil is tlu; oldest (■(hiciitii)n:il iiislitulidii in llie United States. It was fonmlod 
in lliHS. and has been in contimial operation, cxeeiitinir from 177(i to 17s:{ (when the 
British troops oeeiipied Xew Yorlv). until now. It was supported by the Colonial Govern- 
mcMl for Ihirly years. The eoii([uest of Xew Netherlanil liy the Eujrlish in l(it)4 di<l not 
malerially alTeel the Duleh C'luireh and its .school. The latter then came under the e.v- 
chisive control of the church. Tlie pcttj' tyrant Lord Cornbury gave them a little 
temporary trouble. Until 1748, when it was one hundred and fifteen years old, the school 
had no permanent habitation. In that year a small house was built for it in Garden 
Street, now Exchan.ijc^ Place. A new and more spacious house was erected on this site 
in 177!i. Up to that time no one presumed to leach any but the Dutch Ian:rua.ire in this 
school. From the beiriniiini; until ISOS it was under the exclusive control of the minis- 
ters and deacons of the Church. The tirst feminine^ teacher Wits employed in 1792. It 
was not initil 1S04 that Enirlish irranuuar was taii.irht in this .school. Four years later 
the dea<-ons ^ave up the control of the school to the rule of a board of trustees. For 
.several years it was conducted on the Lancastrian plan. 

This school has had, during its two hundred and tifty-six years of existence, only sev- 
enteen head teachers. .James Forresti'r was the principal from 1810 until 1842. when 
Henry Webb Punshee was appointed to take his i>lace. and yet (1887) occupies that exalted 
station, havini; tilled it for forty-three years consecutively. The present location of the 
school is in a buildinir known as De Witt Chainl, at IfiO West Twenty-ninth Street. 
That building; \v,is completed and the school tirst occupied it in 1861. 



RKHGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. 560 

The doctrine and discipline of tlic Reformed Churcli was tlic " State 
religion" of New IS'etlierland until the province Wiis seized In' the 
English in KiO-t, when the Churcli of England heeanie dominant, 
throngli official influence, and so remained until the Revolution in 
1775. Previous to the latter period the jjrincipal denominations in 
the colony, in numhers, as we have ohserved, were the Episcopalians 
(Church of England and ^Moravians), DuN-h and English Presbyterians, 
Independents or Congregationalists, and Lutheratis. The latter were 
among the earlier settlers at iVianliattan, but had no minister ; and when 
they were numerous enough to support a nunister, Stnyvesant would not 
allow them to have one. They had full lilierty under English rule, and 
built their tirst house for worship in New York in lti71. There were 
large accessions to their number from the emigration of the German 
Palatines, to the State in 171ii."" 

Although the Episcopalians in the province were as one to fifteen in 
numbers compared with other denominations, attempts were made from 
time to time to transplant into the ])rovince of Xew York the eccleRias- 
tical establishment of the Anglican Church. To this end some of the 
colonial governors bent their energies, and often produced violent tem- 
porary excitements and permanent nneasiness. But the steady and 
lietermined opposition of the great body of the " dissenters," as the 
other sects were collectively but erroneously called, jjrevented such a 
calamity. As the quarrel before the breaking out of the old war for 
independence waxed hotter and hotter, the subject assumed a political 
aspect, and one of the most significant slogans of the patriots of the early 
period of the Revolution was : 

" A Cluircli without r. bishop, 
A Stall: without a king." 

The political condition of New York before the old war for indepen- 
dence was that of a dependent of the British crown, governed by the laws 



* Early in tlie ci.iihtfentli ocntiu-y many of the inhabitants of the Lower Palatinate, 
lyin,!,' on both sides of tlie Hliine, in Germany, wereilriven from their liomes by the jiei^e- 
cution of Louis XIV. of France. England received many of these Protestant fugitives. 
In the spring of 1T0«, on llie petition of .Josluia Koels<-rthal (evangelical minister of a 
body of Lutherans), for himself and thirty-nine others to be transported to America, an 
order was issued by Queen Anne in eoinicil for such transportation, and their naturaliza- 
tion before leaving England. The Queen pro\'ided for them at Iter own expense. This 
tirst company of Palatines landed on Governor's Island, in the harbor of New York, and 
afterwsu-d scltli'd near the site of Newburgh, on the ll.idson, in the spring of 170!). In 
1710 a larger emigration of Palatines to America occurred, under the guidance of Roliert 
Iltniter, Governor of New York, as we have observed on page 137. 



570 TlIK KMPIRE STATE. 

of Piirliamcnt, and compelled to sulTer taxation and oppressive commer- 
cial roiTiilations without the privilege of representation in the imperial 
legislature. The governor and his eleven conneilmeu were appointed by 
the monarch, l)Ut their salaries were paid l)y the colonists out of the 
revenue created by customs rec^eipts. The freeholders elected a General 
Assembly of representatives, but the great mass of the " commonalty" 
had really no political ])rivileges or powei-s. The relative position of the 
Council in legislation was that of the British House of Lords. They 
also had some judicial power, and were a sort of Privy Council, with 
the governor at tliuir head during sessions. Tiiey assumed much dignity. 
Each was entitled " Tiiu Honorable," and the Council .sent messages to 
the Assembly l>y one of their own members, when the " lower Iiouse" 
would rise to receive him. 

The General Assembly consisted of twenty -seven memljers (in 17(50), 
rejiresenting the several counties, two boroughs, and the three manors of 
liensselaerwyck, Livingston, and Cortlandt. Tliey met in the As.sendjly 
Chamber in the city of New York. Thirteen constituted a <]uornm for 
business. After they liad taken the i)rescribed oath they were called 
before the governor, who recommended their choice of speaker, who 
was, of course, elected. They presented him to the governor in the 
Council Chamber, when the latter approved their choice. Then the 
speaker addi'essed the governor, and un behalf of the Assembly prayed 
" th;it their words and actions migiit have favorable construction ; that the 
mend)ers might have free access to him, and that they and their servants 
be privileged with freedom from arrests." After promising these things 
the governor read his sj^eech to lioth Houses, and gave it to the speaker 
for the use of the Assembly. Then the latter proceeded to business. 

The Asseml)ly made the British House of Commons the model for 
their proceedings, and seldom varied from it. All liills were sent to the 
governor, who submitted them to his Council. When they were signed 
by him they were published by being read to the people in front of the 
City Hall, or State Iiouse, in the presence of the governor and both 
Houses. The continuance of the Assembly was mdimited until early in 
the administration of (lovernor Clinton, when it was restricted to seven 
years.* 

♦ The pay of the members of tlie Assembly varied with the locality reprcsentc<l. It 
■was as follows : City anil couiily of New York, aiul the eounties of Westchester, Kings, 
Queeus, Hiehmoiul, Ulster, Duchess, aiiil Orauge, .«> shillings a ilay ; city and county 
of Albany, ten shillings ; Suffolk County, 7iin^ shillings ; the borough of Westchester, 
the town of Schenectady, and the Manors of Rensselaerwyek, Livingston, and Cortland, 
ten shillings a day. 



THE COURTS. TRADE AXD SETTLERS. 571 

The laws were adniiuistered by justice.^, Sessions and Common Pleas 
courts ; a Supreme Court ; a Court of Admiralty, which had jurisdiction 
in all niiiritime affairs ; a Pruroi^'ative Court, tlie business of which 
related to wills, administrators, etc., the emoluments of which were 
penjuisites of the governor, who acted ordinarily l)y a delegate ; tlie 
Court of the (Governor and Council, which wiis a sort of court of ajipeals, 
and the Court of Chancery, which was absolutely under the control of 
the governor. This court was an exceedingly obnoxious tribunal. All 
the courts were modelled after those of the same grade in England. 

The trade and manufactures of Xew York before the Revolution 
suffered, in common with that of other colonies, from unwise navin-ation 
laws and opjiressive restrictions inflicted by Great Britain ; vet the verv 
favorable geographical and topographical position of its fine seaport and 
commercial mart gave the province great advantages over other colonies 
for the prosecution of foreign trade. Its people grew rich and pros- 
perous in spite of governmental obstructions. 

The population of the province at near the close of the colonial period 
was not as large as many imagined it to be. Scarcely one third part of 
its tillable land was under cultivation. Its vast agricultural and mineral 
resources were almost entirely unsuspected. Connecticut, the area of 
which was one tenth that of New York, had forty thousand more inliali- 
itants than its immediate neighbor on the west in 1T(WI. There had 
been many discouragements to settlements in Xew "^'ork, the chief of 
which were the fre<|nont and fearful incursions of the French and Indians, 
and the making of it a sort of penal colony by the British Govermuent, 
which sent swarms of its criminals hither.* 

All things were cliangod by the results of the war for independence. 
New York became a component part of a vigorous young nation. The 
fetters which had so long bound its industries and its commerce had been 
removed. It was an independent though not a sovereign state. It had 
a Constitution which guaranteed to its citizens political and religious 
freedom. Like a giant rising from refreshing slumbers, it went forth 
on its bounding career the very moment the clarion of peace w;i.s sounded. 
There was then assured safety for life and property within its bolder. 



* " It is too well known," wrotp William Livingston in 1753. " tliat, in pursuance of 
divers a('ts of Parliament, great numbers of felons, who have forfeited Iheir li\es to the 
public for the most atrocious crimes, are annually transported from home to tlie.se planta- 
tions. Very s\irprising, oiu' would think, tlial these burjriars. pickixickets, and cut-purses, 
and a herd of the most lla.nilious banditti upon earth, should be sent as airreeable com- 
panions to us I" Allusion has been made to the character of the l>eople of llie province 
at that time in ("hai)tcr XL 



57:4 THE K.MIMKK STATE. 

and a tide of emigration flowed steadily in. Tlie wilderness speedily 
Lej^aii to " blossom as the rose."" 

Aide statesmen and jurists have l)een abundant in New York from 
the time of its political organization. Among the most consjiicuous 
names appear those of John day, Robert II. Livingston, CTOuvorneur 
Morris, Alexander Hamilton, De Witt Clinton, Chancellor Kent, 
Ainbriisc Spencer, Samuel Jones, ^raitiii Van Huren, Silas Wright, 
^Villiam II. Seward, and Thomas J. Oakley. 

Literature has had its representatives at every period in the history of 
the Empire State. John de Laet, one of the most active of the director.^ 
of the Dutch West India Company, and a resident of Xew Netherland 
for a while, gave to Europe a JliHtorij of the West Indies (which 
included New Netherland) in IC-iO. In KiTn Daniel Denton wrote the 
Jirst (it is supposed) Dencr'iptlon of New York, with the Country of the 
Indian-s, in the English language ; and in 1697 Daniel Leeds issued a 
pamphlet at New York against the Quakers of Philadelphia. 

One of the most learned men of the province during the first half of 
the eighteenth century was Dr. Cadwallader Colden, author of a history 
of the Iroijuois Confederacy and many scientific essays. William Smith 
M'rote a history of the [ rovince down to his time, which was |mblished 
in IT-iT. ^Irs. Ann Eliza lileeckisr, daughter of Brant Sdiuylcr, wrote 
poetry anil stories for tiie jiress, and Dr. ^lyles Cooper, President of 
King"s College, and Dr. Auchmnty, on one side, and William Livingston 
on the other, were vigoi'ons and prolific jiolitical and theological con- 
troversialists with the pen in the last colonial deciide. There were also, 
during the stormy discus.sions before the kindling of the old war for 
independence, younger l)ut equally able writers, such as Alexander 
Hamilton, John .lay, and Gouverneur ^lorris ; while James liivington 
was an able journalist. 

The "Poet of the Revolution" was Philip Freueau, a native of New 
York City. Lindley Murray, a resident of New York since 1753, 
published his Enfjlinh Grammar and Emjlish Header for the edification 
of millions, before the close of the century. At that jieriod William 
Dunlap, painter, playwright, theatre manager, and historian, began his 
career, lie wrote a History of New York, a History of tlw American 
Thetttre, and a History (f the Arts of Desiyn in Anwrlea. 

Great intellectual activity was manifested in Xew York early in the 
present century. The most conspicuous of the many writers at that time 
were Washington Irving,* his brother, Peter, and James K. Paulding, 

* WasliinRton Irvini; was born in Xew York City, April 3<i, 1783 : died at Sunny- 
.side, liis seal on the Hudson, November 23(1, 1859. His father was a Scotcli emigrant. 



IJTEUARY MEN. 



573 



tlieir brotlier-iu-law. Tliey woro joined hy Jatnes Feiiimore Cooper 
a little later. Irving began authorship in 18(12 as a writer for his 
brother's journal, 27ie 2fornin(/ 
Chronicle. PIi& work of rare hu- 
mor, Knickerhorktr' s Jlistury of 
JSfew Yorli, appeared in ISos. 
Paulding had lately joined liiui 
and his brother in writiti<y the Sal- 
'iiiaguiuli papers. His Sketch 
Book charmed readers in both 
liemispheres. Later in life he 
became an eminent biographer and 
historian. Cooper began his lit- 
erary career as a novelist al)ont 
ls2ii, and produced over thirty 
volumes of fiction distinctly Am- 
erican in character. 

Contemporary with Irving and 
Cooper* were De AVitt Cljnton, 
William L. Stone, Gulian C. Yer- 
planck, Fitz-Greene Ilalleck, Joseph Rodman Drake, and Henry II. 
Schoolcraft, all (excepting Ilalleckj natives of ^ew Yoi*k. Stone, the 




WASIIINOTON ntVlXfi. 



and his mother an Englishwoman. At tlie ajre of nineteen lie wrote a series of papers 
ior T/ie M'tridiig Chroiiidf, over the signature of " .lonatlian Oklslyle." whieh allraeteil 
much attention. His KitirKvi-hoi-kir's Hintui-y <if INcw York, a most humorous earieature 
of the Duteh djMiasly on Maulxatlau Ishmd, set everybody laugliiug, and luueh u-ritatcd 
some of the descendants of the first Duteh .settlers at New Amsterdam. Irving was tnen 
only twenty-si.x years of age. He edited the Analectic Magazine during the War of 
1813-15. Failing health induced him to go to Euroiio, where he resided seventccu 
years, and gained a great literary re|nitation. . He was Secretary of the American Lega- 
tion in Loudon from 1829 to 18:il. and received the fifty-guinea gold medal jirovided by 
George IV. for eminence in histoiieal composition. In May, ls:i-.>, Mr. Irving returned 
to Xew York, and kept Inisy with his jien. He was appointed Minister to Spain in 184'-', 
-where he remained four years. On his return he revised all his works for publication. 
His last and greatest work was a Life of Vi'iinhinyVm in five octavo volumes. The hon- 
oraiy degree of LL.D. was conferred upon hiiu liy Harvard College, Oxford (Eng.) 
L'niversity, and Columbia College. 

* James Feuimore Cooper was born at Burlington, N. J., Septemlwr ISth, 1789 ; died 
at Cooperstown, N. Y., September 14th, 1851. He was a sou of Judge William Cooler, 
one of the first settlers in Central New York. For six years he was in the Unileil States 
Navy, and in 1811 he married a sister of the late Bishop De Lancey. His life ^y!ls 
chiefly devoted to literature. His first novel was Precaution, published in 1821, which 
was rather coldly received. Then followed his i<py. The Pinnecrx, and the Leather- 
utoi-kiny Tali:- iu (puck succession, which gave him great fame as an .Vmerieau novelist. 



574 



TllK K.MIMlil-: !-.TATK. 



ciiiinciit jdiiriKilist, wrote lives of l>rant, Tied Jacket, and Sir Wiiliain 

.loliiis^oii, tlie lattcir tiiiislied liy his son. Vcrplaiick was an acfoinplished 

essayist ami one of the hest-known men in the social circles of Xew 

York for tifty years. Drake was a i,''entle ])oet, of whom Ilalleck at his 

death wrote : 

" None knew tlicc but lo love; thee ; 
None niiiniMl llicc liiit to pniisc. " 



Schoulerat't l)ecan 




liigh aiitliiirity coneeniing the Indians. Tlie name 
of Samuel Woodworth, author 
of ■•The Ohl Oaken Ihicket" 
and '' The House I Live In," 
deserves special mention in this 
connection. 

One of the most painstaking 
and trustworthy of the historians 
of New York was John R. Brod- 
head,* who died in 1873. By 
direction of the Legislatin-e of 
Xew York, as its agent, he search- 
ed the historical archives of Hol- 
land, England, and France for 
documents relating to the colonial 
period of this State, and hronght 
home copies of more than live 
thousand valuahle papers, which 
the State ])nhlished in eleveu 
quarto volumes. He had pulilislied two volumes of an elal)orate history 
of New York State, which he was preparing, when death ended his 
earthly career. Among the names of historians of portions of the State, 
those of AV. ^Y. Campbell, Jeptha K. Simms, Ttohert Bolton, Jr., Dr. 
Fraidvlin B. Hough, Henry B. Dawson, and Martha J. Lamb appear 

Mr. Cooper went to Europe in 1826, and remained tlierc until 1833. He wrote a History 

of the United States Xor-i/. IJtes of America n Naval Officers, in two volinnes ; also wrote a 
comedy, whieh was performed in New York in 1850. 

* .John Honieyn Brodhcad, son of Rev. .Jacob IJrodhcad. wa.s born in J^hilaihlpbia 
•January 2d. 1S14 : died in Xew York City. May 6th, 1873. He was irradviated at 
Kutgers College in 1831 ; admitted to the bar in 183") ; was attached to the American 
Tyc^ation at the Ilaaue in 1S39, and procured for tlie Slate of New York copies of impor- 
tant documents, mentioned in the te.xt. Mr. Brodhend was Secretary to the Aniericau 
Legation at London from 1846 till 1849. On his return he began the preparation of an 
exhaustive history of the State of New York, but did not live to complete it. The first 
volume was jiublished in 18.53 and the second iii 1871, wliich brings the history down to 
the close of the seventeenth centurv. 



J.VMKS FKSIMOUK COOI'iat. 



ARTS AXU ARTISTS. 575 

most conspicuous. The latest and most trustworthy writer on tlie 
Iroquois Confederacy was Louis Morgan, who died in ISSl. ' 

In the reahn of poetry New Yoriv is most prominently represented 
by William Cullen Bryant. Though a native of another State, he was 
a resident of this commonwealth from his young manhood, fxeorfe 
P. Morris, also a resident from the period of his young manhood, nuiks 
among its best song-writers. 

Among scientific writers, Drs. Samuel L. Mitchell, David llo.sack, 
John W. Francis, John Torrey, Professor James Kcnwick, and Dr. 
John W. Draper (all but tlic; latter natives of Xew York) appear most 
conspicuous. 

In no State in the Union are the fine arts more widely cultivated 
and fostered than in the commonwealth of New York. Besides tlie vast 
treasures of art found in Xew York City,* other cities and villages and 
private homes in various parts of the State exhibit rare and costly works 
of painters, sculptors, and engravers, while in every direction great taste 
in architecture is displayed. 

Some of the more eminent resident artists of Xew York have not been 
natives of the State. Colonel J. Trumbull was born in Connecticut ; 
John Wesley Jarvis and Thomas Cole came from England ; Professor 
S. F. B. Morse (made more famous than any others by his scientific 
achievements in electro-magnetic telegraphy) was a native of Massa- 
chusetts, and A. B. Duraiul, the uiost eminent American engraver on 
steel,t was born in New Jersey. But Henry Inman and Cliarles L. 

* The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the city of New Yorl£, under the direction of 
General L. P. di Cesnola. has already become the most attractive and importitnl deposi- 
tory of rare works of art on this continent. Within the space of three mouths, in th(! 
spring of 1887, it was enriched by paintings from the studios of the most famous artist.s 
in the world, presented to the institution by generous cilizens of the metropolis. The 
aggregate value of these gifts amounled to almost $1,()()0,(K)(). Other valuable pittures 
have since been given. 

t New York City was the bivlhplaee of Alexander .Vnderson. the pioneer engraver 
on wood in America, who was born in April, 177"). His father was a Scotchman, and 
the publisher of a small Whig newspaper in New York entitled Tlie Coiistitiitioiuil 
Oazette. He fled to Connecticut with his types and his family when the ]?rilish took 
New York in 1776. Yoimg Anderson graduated at the Jledical School of Columl)ia Col- 
lege, and was a practising physician for a while ; but, preferring art. he devoted himself 
to engraving first on type-metal and copper. Ilis first knowledge of the use of wood for 
engraving pictures upon was derived from a copy of Bewick's BiriU. He had then com- 
pleted, on type-metal, aboiu one half of the illustrations of the lyooking-gltin-t for the 
Mind, when he abandoned the metal and made the rest on wood. He practised that 
branch of art all the rest of his life. His last engraving was left half finishwl. when hi' 
was in the ninety-fifth year of his age. I have two of his first wood -engravings ; also the 
half-finished one. his last. They were executed seventy-five years apart. He died in 
Jersey City, N. J., in January, 1870. 



576 THE EMPIRE STATE. 

Elliott, tlie toromost portrait painters of tlieir day, Roliert AV. Weir and 
Daiiiol lluiitiiigton, eiiiiiiuiit ])i)rtrait, lii.storiual, und tjinri- painters, and 
Thomas Crawford, tlie «eiil|)t<)r, were ail bora in the State of New 
York. Professor Morse was the chief founder of the National Academy 
of the Arts of Desiyn at New York, and ]V[r. Huntington is now (18ST) its 
president. General Thomas S. Cummings, who for a generiition or more 
was the leading painter of portraits in miniature in New York City, 
and was for forty years the treasurer of the Academy, is now. in the 
eiglity-fonrtli year of his age, the sole survivor of the founders of that 
institution. 

THE EN1>. 



I 



APPENDIX. 



COUNTIES OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 

On pages 97, 98 are given brief accounts of the organization of the ten 
counties in New York which were first established, with delineations of 
their respective seals.* Below may be found similar accounts of the 
remaining llfty counties with the population of each in 1875 and 1880. 

Allegany Countti- was formed from Genesee County, April 11th, 
1806. A portion of Steuben County was annexed, March Uth, 1808. 
Portions of it were given to Genesee in 1811, to Wyoming and Living- 
ston in 1846, and again to Livingston in 1856. Population in 1875 was 
41,721 ; in 1880 it was 41,810. 

Bkoome County was formed from Tioga, March 2Sth, ISuO, and was 
so named in honor of Lieutenant-Governor John Broome, wiio gave it a 
silver seal. Oswego and Berkshire were annexed to Tioga County, 
March 21st, 1822. Population in 1875 was 47,913 ; in 188(t it was 
49,483. 

Caitaraugds County was formed from Genesee County, March 11th, 
1808. Population in 1875 was 48,477 ; in 1880 it was 55,806. 

Catuga County was formed from Onondaga County, March 8th, 
1799. It is a long, narrow county. Its name is derived from one of the 
Six Nations. Population in 1875 was 61,213 ; in 1880 it was 65,081. 

Chautauqua County was formed from Genesee, March 8tli, 1808. It 
lies upon the shore of Lake Erie in the southwest corner of the State. 
Population in 1875 was 64,869 ; in 1880 it was 65,342. 



* In the accounts on pages 97, 98 the population of each of tlie ten counties is not 
given. The subjoined table will supply an omission : 



« 

Counties. 


Population. 


Counties. 


Population. 


1875. 


1880. 


1875. 1 1880. 




147,530 
76.056 

.509,21(1 

1.04i;,0s7 

80,252 


1.54,890 

79.184 

599.495 

l,20(i.299 

88,220 




84,131 90,574 




Riclinioml. . . 

Suflolk 


35,241 38,991 


Kings 


52,088 53,888 




Ulster 

V/estchester 


88,271 85.888 


Orange 


100,680 , 108,988 



578 



Al'l'KNUlX. 















COtTXTT SKALS. 



APPENDIX. 



579 


















COUNTY SEALS. 



580 APPENDIX. 

CiiKMUNG CoDNTY was fomicd from Tioga County, March 29tli, 1836. 
Tlie name is dcrivcfl from the Indian title of the principal stream trav- 
ersing it, and signities, it is said, " Big horn in the water." Popuhition 
in 1875 was 41,879 ; in 1880 it was 43,065. 

CiiKNANfio County was formed from Herkimer and Tioga counties, 
!March 15th, 171)S. Sangerfield (Oneida County) was taken from it in 
1804, and Madison County in 1800. It is an interior county. Popuhi- 
tion in 1875 was 39,1)37 ;.in ISSO it was 39,891. 

Clinton County was formed from Washington, March 7th, 17SS, and 
was so named in honor of Governor George CUnton. In 1799 Essex 
County was taken from it, St. Lawrence County was pi-ovisionally annexed 
to it in 1801, and taken off in 1802, and Frankhn County was taken 
from it in 1808. It lies upon Lake Champlain, and is the northeast 
county of the State. Population in 1875 was 49,761 ; in 1880 it was 50,897. 

Columbia County was formed from Alhany, April 4th, 1786. It lies 
on tiie east bank of the Hudson River, between Ducliess and llensselaer 
counties, and extends east to the Massachusetts lino. Population in 
1875 was 47,756 ; in 1880 it was 47,928. 

CoKTLAND County was formed from Onondaga, April Sth, 1808. It 
was named in honor of Pierre Van Cortlandt, the first Lieutenant- 
Governor of the State, who was an extensive owner of land in tiiat region. 
It lies near the centre of the State. Population in 1875 was 24,5iK) ; in 
1880 it was 25,825. 

Dklawake County was formed from Ulster and Ot.sego counties, 
^March loth, 1797. It lies upon the headwaters of the Delaware Kiver. 
Population in 1875 was 42,149 ; in 1880 it was 42,721. 

DuciiKss County. See page 98 and note, page 577. 

Erie County was formed from Niagara Coimty, April 2d, 1821. It 
lies upon Lake Erie and Niagara River on the west line of the State. 
Popuhition in 1875 was 199,570 ; in 1880 it was 219,884. 

EssKX County was formed from Clinton County, March 1st, 1799. In 
the erection of Franklin County in 1808 a corner was taken from Essex. 
It is upon Lake Cliamplain. Population in 1875 was 34,474 ; in 1880 it 
was 34,515. 

Franklin County was formed from Clinton County, March 11th, 1806. 
It was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin Franklin. On Marcii22d, 1822, 
a small portion of it was annexed to Essex County. Population in 1875 
was 31,581 ; in 1880 it was 32,390. 

Fulton County was formed from Montgomery County, April ISth, 
1838, and was so named in honor of Robert Fulton. It lies north of the 
^lohawk River. Poi)ulation in 1875 w:us 30,188; in 1880 it w;is 30,985. 



APPENDIX. 581 

Genesee County was formed from Ontario, Marcli SOtli, 1S02. It 
originally coiiiprised all that part of the State lying west of the Genesee 
Elver, and a line extending due south from tlie junction of the Crenesee 
and Canaseraga Creek to the southern line of the State. In ISdO Alle- 
gany was taken from it ; Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Niagara in 1808 ; 
parts of Livingston and Monroe in 1821 ; Orleans in 182-t, and Wyoming 
in 1S41. Population in 1875 was 32,551 ; in 1880 it was 32,806." 

Gkeene County was formed from Albany and Ulster counties, March 
25th. 1800, and named in honor of General Nathaniel Greene, of the 
Revolution. It lies upon the west bank of the Hudson Iliver. Popu- 
lation in 1875 was 32,554 ; in 1880 it was 32,695. 

Hamilton County was formed from Montgomery County, February 
12th, 1816. It -was named in honor of Alexander Hamilton. The terri- 
tory was included in Herkimer County in 17in, but was reannexed to 
Montgomery in ]\Iarch, 1797. It occupies the central portion of the 
great northern wilderness. Its organization can only he complete when 
it has a population sufficient to entitle it to a Member of Assendily. 
Population in 1875 was 3,482 ; in ISSO it was 3,923. 

Hekkisier County was formed from Montgomery, February 16th, 
1791. " The name," says Dr. Hough, " was originally spelled Erg- 
hemar. " It was named in honor of General Herkimer, fatally wounded 
at Oriskany, who signed his name Ilerkheimer. Ojiondaga County was 
taken from Herkimer in 1794 ; Oneida and part of Chenango in 1798 ; 
parts of Mo!itgomery County were annexed to it, April 7th, 1817; and 
parts of Richfield and Plainfield, of Otsego County, were annexed in 
forming the town of Wlnfield in 1816. Population in 1875 was 41,692 ; 
in 1880 it was 42,669. 

Jefferson County was formed from Oneida, March 28th, 1805, and 
named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, then President of the United 
States. Population in 1875 was 65,362 ; in 1880 it was 66,103. 

Kings County. See page 98 and note on page 577. 

Lewis C(WNty was formed from Oneida, March 28th, 1805, and named 
in honor of Morgan Lewis, the Governor of the State. Slight changes 
liave been made in its boundary. It lies mostly within the Black River 
Valley. Population in 1875 was 29,236 ; in 1880 it was 31,416. 

LiviNGSioN County was formed from Genesee and Ontario, February 
23d, 1821. In 1846 a portion of Allegany was annexed, and in 1856 
another portion. Population in 1875 was 38,564 ; in 1880 it was 39,562. 

Madison County was formed from Chenango, March 21st, 1806, and 
named in honor of James Madison, afterward President of the United 
States. Population in 1875 was 42,490 ; in 1880 it was 44,112. 



58a 



APPENDIX 















COrNTY SEALS. 



APPKXDIX. 



583 




<'<>rKTV SEALS. 



584 .vri'KMUX. 

^[oMjoK CnrNTV was formed from Ontario and Genesee counties, 
February 2;3d, 1S21, and named in lionor of James ^lonroe, tlien Presi- 
dent of the United States. Population in 1S75 was 134,534 ; in IsSO it 
was 144,!M)3. 

MoXTuoMKKY County was formed from Albany County, Jfarcli 12th, 
1772, under the name of Tryon County, so called in lionor of the Iloyal 
Governor, "William Tryon. Its name was chanj^ed on April 2d, 1784, in 
honor of General llichard Montgomery. Ontario was taken from it in 
17Si) ; Herkimer, Oswego, and Tioga in 1791 ; Hamilton in ISKi, and 
Fulton in 1838. Population in 1875 was 35,200 ; in 1880 it was 38,315. 

Xkw Youk Colxty. See page 97 and note on ))age 577. 

Niagara County was formed from (Tcnesee, March 11th, 180S. Erie 
was taken from it April 2d, 1821. It lies in the angle formed by the 
junction of the iSiagara River and Lake Ontario. I'opnhition in 1S75 
wa.s 51,lt04 ; in ISSd it was 54,17.'!. 

Oneida County was formed from Herkimer, March 15th, 1798. In 
1805 Lewis and Jefferson counties were taken from it, also a part of 
Oswego County in ISIG. In ISHl portions of it were annexed to Clinton 
County, and some to Madison County in 1836. In 1804 a part of 
Chenango County was annexed. Its name is derived from one of the 
Six Nations. Population in 1875 was 113,907 ; in 1880 it was 115,475. 

Onondaga County was formed from Herkimer, March 5th, 1794, and 
included the " Military Tract." Caj'uga was taken from it, ^larcli 8tli, 
1799, Cortland, April 8th, 1808, and a part of Oswego, March 1st, 1816. 
Its name was derived from one of the Six Nations. Pojjulation in 1875 
was 113,223 ; in 1880 it was 117,893. 

Ontario County was formed from Montgomery ('ounty, January 
27th, 1789. Its name was derived from the great lake which originally 
formed its northern border. Steuben County was taken from it in 1796, 
Genesee in 1802 ; ]iarts of Montgomery and Livingston in l>i21, and 
Yates and a part of Wayne in 1823. A strip from Montgomery County, 
west of Seneca Lake, was annexed February 16th, 1791, and a small 
tract from Steuben, Februar}' 25th, 1814. Population in l'^75 was 47,- 
730 ; in 1880 it was 49,541. 

Orange County. See page 98 and note on page 577. 

Ori.kans County was formed from (ienesee, November 11th, 1824. 
On April 5th, 1825, a portion of Genesee was annexed. Population in 
1875 was 29,977 ; in 1880 it was 30,128. 

Oswego County (an Indian name) Wiis formed from Oneida and Onon- 
daga, March 1st, 1816. It lies at the southeast extremity of Lake On- 
tario. Population in 1875 wiis 78,615 ; in 1880 it was 77,911. 



AIM'KNDIX. -,85 

Otsego Coi:nty was forineil from Montgomery, Feliruary Ifitli, 1791. 
It is also an Indian name. A i)art of Schoharie was taken from it in 
1795, and a part of Delaware in 17'.»7. ro])uhition in 1875 was 4;».S15 ; 
in 1880 it was 51,397. 

Putnam County, so called in honor of General Israel Putnam, was 
formed from Duchess County, June 12th, 1812. It lies upon the Hud- 
son River, between tlie connties of Duchess and Westchester, and ex- 
tends to the State of Connecticut. Population in 187.") was 15 Sll ■ in 
1880 it was 15,181. 

QuEioNs County. See page 98 and note on page 577. 

Eensselakij County was formed from Albany, February 7th, 1791, 
and named from the Yan Pensselaer family. It included nearly all of 
the Yan Rensselaer Manor east of the Hudson River. Population in 
1875 was 105,053 ; in 1880 it was 115,32S. 

Richmond County. See page 98 and note on page 577. 

Rockland County was formed from Orange County, February 2Stli, 
1798, and derives its name from its extensive mountain area. Popula- 
tion in 1875 was 26,951 ; in 1880 it was 27,r>90. 

St. Lawrence County was formed from Clinton County and parts of 
Montgomery and Herkimer counties, March 3d, 1802. Its northwest- 
ern boundary is the St. Lawrence River, from which it derives its 
name. It is the largest connty in the State, its area being 2880 square 
miles. Population in 1875 was 8-1,121: ; in 1880 it was 85,997. 

Saratoga County was formed from Albany, February 7th, 1791. It 
lies in the angle formed by the junction of the Mohawk and Hudson 
rivers. It is an Indian name for a place. Pojndation in 1875 was 
55,233 ; in 1880 it was 55,15G. 

Schenectady County was formed from Albany, March 7tli, 1809. 
Population in 1875 was 22,892 ; in 1880 it was 23,538. 

Schoharie County was formed from Albany and Otsego, April (Uli, 
1795. The name is said to be the Indian term for " drift-wood." A 
small part of Greene County was anne.xed to it in 1836. Population in 
1875 \vas 32,419 ; in 1880 it was 32,910. 

Schuyler County was formed from Steuben, Chemung, and Tomp- 
kins counties, April 17tli, 1854. It was named in honor of General 
Philip Schuyler. Population in 1875 was 1 8, 928 ; in 1880 it was 18,842. 

Seneca County was formed from Cayuga, March 29th, 1804. A part 
of Tompkins County was taken from it in 1817, and a part of Wayne 
in 1823. It derives its name from one of the Six Nations. Population 
in 1875 was 27,299 ; in 1880 it was 29,278. 

Steuben County was formed from Ontario, March 18th, 1796, and 



68G • APPENDIX. 

named in lionor of Baron Yon Steuben. Parts were afterward annexed 
to Allegany County in 18(>8 ; to Livingston County in lS'2-2, and to 
Schuyler County in 1854. Pojiulatidii in 1875 was 73,723 ; in 1880 it 
was 77,58{i. 

Suffolk County. See page 98 and note on page 577- 

Sullivan County was formed from Ulster, March 27th, 1809, and 
named in honor of General John Sullivan, of tlie Continental Army. 
Population in 1875 was 34,935 ; in 1S8U it was 32,491. 

Tioga County was formed from Montgomery County, February 16tli, 
1791. Tn 179s a part of Chenango was taken from it ; Broome in 1800 ; 
a jiart of Tompkins in 1822, and Chemung in 183G. Population in 
1875 was 31,744 ; in 1880 it was 32,673. 

Tompkins County was formed from Cayuga and Seneca, April 17th, 
1822. A part of Schuyler County was taken from it in 1854. It was 
named in honor of Governor Daniel D. Tompkins, then Vice-President 
of the United States. Population in 1875 was 32,915 ; iu 1880 it was 
34,445. 

Ulster County. See page 98 and note, page 577. 

Warren County was formed from Washington County, March 12th, 
1813, and was named in honor of General Jo.'^eph Warren, of tlie Revo- 
lution. It lies on Lake George. Population in 1S75 wiis 23,295 ; in 
1880 it was 25,179. 

AVASiiix(ir(^N County was formed from Albany County, with the name 
of " Charlotte County" (in honor of l^rincess Charlotte, eldest daugh- 
ter of George III.), March 12th, 1772. On April 2d, 1784, the name 
was clianged to Washington. Clinton County was taken from it in 
17S8 ; the eastern portion was ceded to A^ermont in 1790 ; a portion was 
annexed to Albany County in 1791, and Warren was taken from it in 
1813. Population in 1875 was 48,167 ; in 1880 it was 47,871. 

Wayne County was formed from Ontario and Seneca counties, April 
11th, 1823. It lies upon Lake Ontario, and was named in honor of 
General Anthony Wayne, of the Revolution. Population in 1875 was 
49,882 ; in 1880 it was 54,700. 

Westchkstkk Cou.nty. See page 98 and note on page 577. 

Wyoming County was formed from Genesee County, May 14th, 1841. 
A portion of Allegany County was annexed in 1846. Population in 
1875 was 30,595 ; in 1880 it was 30,91)7. 

Yates County was formed from Ontario County, February 5th, 1823, 
and named in honor of Joseph C Yates, then Governor of the State. A 
portion of Steuben County was annexed in 1824. Population in 1875 
was 19,686 ; in 1880 it was 21,OS7. 



APPENDIX. • 587 



II. 
GOVERNORS OF XEW YORK. 

COLONIAL. 

Cornelius Jacobsen May 1024 

William Verhulst IG'io 

Peter Miniiit May 4. 1626 

Walter (or Wouter) Van Twiller April. 1033 

William Kieft Mar. 28. 1638 

Peter Stuy vesant May 11. 1647 

Richard Nicolls Sept. 8. 1664 

Francis Los'clace .Aug. 17. 1668 

Cornelis Evertse, Jr., and a Council t>f War Vug. (n. s. ) 12. 1673 

Anthony Colve Sept. 19. 1673 

Edmund Andres Nov. (n. s.) 10. 1674 

Anthony Brockholls, Commander-in-Chief Nov. 16. 1677 

Sir Edmund Andros Aug. 7. 1678 

Anthony Brockholls, Commander-in-Chief Jan. (n. s. ) 13. 1682 

Thomas Dongan Aug. 27. 1683 

Sir Edmund Andros Aug. 11. 1688 

Francis Nicholson, Lieutenant-Governor Oct. 9. 1688 

Jacob Leisler Tune 3. 1689 

Henry Sloughter Mar. 19. 1691 

Richard Ingoldsby, Conunander-in-Chief July 26. 1691 

Benjamin Fletcher Aug. 30. 1692 

Earl of Bellomont April 13. 1695 

John Nanfan, Lieutenant-Governor May 17. 1699 

Earl of Bellomont Tuly 24. 1700 

Eldest Councillor present, Pres. of the Council. .Mar. 5. 1701 

John Nanfan, Lieutenant-Governor May 19. 1701 

Lord Cornbury May 3. 1702 

Lord Lovelace Dec. 18. 1708 

Peter Schuyler, President May 6. 1709 

Richard Ingoldsby, Lieutenant-Governor -May 9. 1709 

Peter Schuyler, President May 25. 1709 

Richard Ingoldsby, Lieutenant-Governor June I. 17<>9 

Genirdus Beekman, President April Id. 1710 

Robert Hunter !""« !■*• l^^*^ 



588 APPENDIX. 

Peter Sdiiijler, President July 21. 1719 

"William Pniniet Sept. 17. 1720 

John Montgomery April 15. 1728 

Kip Van Dam, President July 1. 1731 

AVilliiim Cosby Aug. 1. 1732 

George Clai'ke, President Mar. 10. 173fi 

George Clarke, Lieutenant-Governor. Oct. 30. 1730 

George Clinton Sei)t. 2. 1 743 

Sir Danvers Osborn Oct. 10. 17r)3 

James De Lancey, Lieutenant-Governor Oct. 12. 1753 

Sir diaries Hardy Sept. 3. 1 755 

James l)e Lancey, Lieutenant-Governor June 3. 1757 

Cad wallader Colden, President Aug. 4. 1760 

Cadwallader Colden, Lieutenant-Governor Aug. 8. 1761 

Robert Jlonckton Oct. 26. 1 761 

Cadwallader Colden, Lieutenant-Governor Nov. 18. 1761 

Kobert jMonckton June 14. 1762 

Cadwallader (jolderi, Lieutenant-Governor June 28. 1763 

Sir Ilenry Moore Nov. 13. 1765 

Cadwallader Colden, Lieutenant-Governor Sept. 12. 1769 

P^arl of Dnnmore Oct. 19. 1770 

William Tryon July 9. 1771 

Cadwallader Colden, Lieutenant-Governor April 7. 1774 

William Tryon June 28. 1775 

James Robertson, Military Governor Mar. 23. 1780 

Andrew Elliott, Lieutenant-Governor April 17. 1783 

The last two named are not recognized by the State of New '^'oik. 
They served during the occupation of New York City by the Britisii from 
1776 to 1783. 

PRESII>ENTS OF TFIE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS. 

Peter Yan Rrugh Livingston . .May 23. 1775 

Nathaniel Woodhull, President />w tempore Aug. 28. 1775 

Abraham Yates, Jr., President ^^/-o tewtj^ore Nov. '2. 1775 

Nathaniel Woodhull Dec. 6. 1775 

JoliM Ilaring, President pro tempore Dec. 16. 1775 

Aliraliam Yates, Jr., President j>7"0 ^ew/^o/**? Aug. 10. 1776 

Abraham Yates, Jr Aug. 28. 1776 

Peter R. Livingston Sept. 26. 1776 

Abraham Ten Eroeck Mar. 6. 1777 



APPENDIX. 589 

Leonard Gansevoort, President pro tempore April Is. 1777 

Pierre Van Cortlandt, President of Council of 

Safety "May 14. 1777 

GOVERNORS OF THE .STATE. 

George Clinton Jnly 30. 1777- "- ' 

John Jay July 1. 1 795 " ' 

George Clinton isul ^ 

Morgan Lewis 1804 - 1 

Daniel D. Tompkins 1807 

John Taylor, Lieuteuiint-Governor and Acting 

Governor Mar. 1817 

De Witt Clinton July 1. lsl7 

Joseph C. Yates Jan 1. 1S23 -. 

De Witt Clinton 1825 - 2 'a 

Nathaniel Pitcher, Lieutenant-Governor and Act- 
ing Governor I'eh. II. 1828 -~ 

Martin Van Buren I'^SO 

Enos T. Throop, Lrentemmt^Govemor and Acting l^'% 

Governor "Mar. VI. 1820 • ' " 

Enos T. Throop -^an. 1. is:31 

William L. Marcy '" l'^-'--'^ 

William n. Seward " 1^=^'^ 

William C. Bouek " 1^-13 

Silas Wright " 1^-^^ 

T 1 X- " 1S47 

John 1 oung ^'^ ' 

Hamilton Fish " 1^^'' 

Washington Hunt , " l^^J 

Horatio Seymour " •^^^" 

Myron H. Clark " l-^^^5 

John A. King " '^^'^_[ 

Edwin D. Morgan " ^^'''* 

Horatio Seymour 

Keuhen E. Fenton '^ *'^ 

" ISd't 

John T. Hoffman ^ ..• 
John Adams Dix ... ^ 

Samuel J. Tilden ^^'"^ 



MORE ELAP.ORATE HISTORIES. 

The reader of this compendious History of the State of New Ynrk 
who may desire more iiiimite knowledge of tlie commonwealtli may 
profitably consult the following works : 

Documents Relating to the Colonial History of New York, obtained 
abroad by I'rodhead. 

Documentary History of New York, edited ]>y E. 1>. O'Callaghaii, 
M.I). 

Brodhead's History of New York to K.ftl. 

Macauley's History of New York. 

Yates and Moulton's History of New York (colonial). 

SmitlTs History of New York (colonial). 

Dunlap's History of New York. 

Roberts's History of New York. 

Barbor's Historical Collection of New York. 

O'Callaghan's History of New Netherland. 

Jones's History of New York During the Revolutionary War. 

Proceedings of the New York Historical Society. 

"Watson's Annals and Occurrences of New York City and State. 

Colden's History of tiie Five Nations. 

Schoolcraft's Notes on the Iroquois. 

Morgan's History of the Iroquois Confederacy. 

Ruttenber's Indian Tril)es of the Hudson River. 

The Jesuit Relations. 

Stone's Biographies of Sir William Johnson, Brant, and Red Jacket. 

Stone's History of Burgoyne's Cam]>aign. 

Lossing's Life and Times of Philip Schuyler. 
*^ Campbell's Border Wars of New York. 

"^ Sinnns's History of Schoharie County and Border Wars of New York. 
v/Turner's History of Pioneer Settlements in New York. 

O'Ueilley's History of Rochester. 

Munro's Description of the Genesee Country. 

Watson's History of Essex County and of the Champlain Valley. 

Palmer's History of Lake Champlain. 

Onderdonk's Revolutionar}' Incidents on Long Island. 

Thompson's History of Long Island. 



MORE ELABORATE HISTORIES. 691 

Prime's History of Long Island. 

Stiles's History of the City of Brooklyn. 

Histories of Xew York City by Miss M. L. Booth, D. T. Valentine, 
W. L. Stone, Mrs. M. J. Lamb, and B. J. Lossing. 

Francis's Old New York. 
V' Munsell's Annals of Alban}'. 
\^ Marshall's Niagara Frontier. 
V Public Documents Relating to the New York Canals. 

Reports of the Regents of the University and of the State Superintend- 
ent of Public Instruction. 
\_ Hammond's Political History of New York. 

Dunshee's History of the Collegiate (Dutch Reformed) Church School. 

Ketchum's History of Buffalo. 

Hunt's Letters About tlie Hudson. 

Lossing's Hudson from the ^Vilderness to the Sea. 

Bonney's Legacy of Historical Gleanings. 

Numerous Town and County Histories. 



INDEX 



A. 

Abercrombie, James, Inefficiency of, 108 ; 
attacks Ticonderoga, 174. 

Abrabam, Heijihts of, scaled, 182. 

Abraham, Plains of, 180 ; battle on the, 
183. 

Acadians or French Neutrals, 163. 

AoUind, .Major, %voiinded, 278. 

Acland. Lady Harriet (note), 278. 

Adaina, John, President of the United 
States, 303. 

Aix-la-Cliapelle, Treaty at, 157. 

Albany City incorporated; municipal offi- 
cers of, 103 ; name changed, 89 ; indepen- 
dent government at, 107; Colonial con- 
ventions at. 107, 162 ; Provincial Assem- 
bly at, 108 ; stale of society at, 1.50, l.il; 
canal celebration at, 464 ; cUarter of, 
amended, 543. 

Albany County, Territory of, 98 ; extent of, 
343. 

Albany Regency, Tlie, 4.52. 

Alexander, James, counsel for Zenger, 144. 

Alexandria Bay, Moonlight battle in, 416. 

Algerine Corsairs, 458. 

Algonquin Indians slain at Iloboken and 
Manhattan Island, 48. 

Allen, Etiian, a bold popular leader, 190, 
316 ; at Ticonderoga, 218 ; a prisoner, 229; 
and Beverly Robinson, 317. 

Allen, lehabod, killed at Cherry Valley, 
291. 

Allen, Ira. active in Vermont, 317 ; biog- 
raphy of (note), 318, 319. 

Allen and Warner before the Provincial 
Congress of New York, 223. 

Allerton, Isaac, at New Amsterdam, 49. 

Allied armies besiege Yorktown, 333. 

America, Position of affairs in. 173. 

American Association, Tbe, 211, 312. 



American naval force in 1813, 419. 

American Navy, Exploits of the, 397. 398. 

American Society for the Promotion of 
National Union, .530, 521. 

American System, The, 473. 

Amliersi, Jeffrey, at Louisburg, 173 ; bi- 
ography of (note), 178 ; commander-in- 
cliief on Lake Champlain, 179 ; receives 
the surrender of Montreal, 184. 

Amphibious warfare, 418, 419. 

Amsterdam Charter of the Dutch West 
India Co., Members of the (note), 23 ; 
action of the, 63. 

Amsterdam merchants of trade at Jlan- 
hattan (note), 14. 

Anderson, Dr. Alexander, first engraver on 
wood in America ; biography of (note), 
575. 

Anderson, Robert, Major, at Fort Sumter, 
523. 

Annapolis, Convention at, in 1786, 336. 

Andre. Major John, coniplots with Arnold, 

311 ; arrested as a spy, 312 ; executed; 
honored by his King, 315 ; captors of, 

312 ; captors of, rewarded, 315. 
Andros, Edmond, biography of (note), 91 ; 

Governor of New York ; imprisons citi- 
zens, 92 ; at Albany ; sends gunpowder 
to Rhode Island, 93 ; knighted, 94 ; long 
rule of, 96 ; Viceroy of English-Amer- 
ican Colonies, 103 ; arn'sted in Boston 
and sent to England, 105. 

Anne, Queen, crowned, 129. 

Anthony, .'\llard, a sehepeii, 63. 

Ami. Masonic movements, 471, 472 ; party 
dissolved, 476. 

Anti-Masonry, Origin of, 471, 472. 

Anti-Rentism, 499, 500. 

Argus and Pelican, Battle between the. 
418. 

Armies, Disbandment of ; the Union, 538. 



594 



INDEX. 



Armstnmg, .lolin, fSates's aidi^dc-cami) <m 
Bemis's llei^rlits, 270 ; author of the New. 
burgh Letters, 328 ; Secretary of War ; 
biojf raphy of (note), 412 ; Hampton and 
Wilkinson and. 413, 414. 

Arnold, Benedict, with Allen at Ticonde- 
roga, 218 ; naval ()|ierations of; captures 
St. Johns, 222 ; joins Montgomery in an 
attack on Quebec; in command there, 2I!0; 
naval career on liake ChampUiin, 251; 
relieves Fort Schuyh'r. 273; in battle on 
Bemis's Heights, 275. 280 ; wounded, 280 ; 
military governor of Philadelphia ; mar- 
riage of ; convicted of crookedness ; plots 
treason, 311, 312 ; fl\emo{]w Vulture. 314; 
receives his stipulated reward, 315 ; at- 
tempt to abduct, 315 ; a plunderer in 
Viminia ; rewards offered for, 321. 

Arnold apd Morgan on Bemis's Heights, 
281. 

Arnold, Mrs., at her husband's headquar- 
ters, 313 ; distress of, 314. 

Articles of Confederation, 319. 

Asia, a British vessel, fires on New York 
City. 232. 

Assembly, Popular, at New Amsterdam, 
Members of the, 74. 

Assemhly, The first General English, at 
New York. fG ; laws passed by ; Sjieaker 
of, UO. 

Assembly, .\nti-LeisIerinn, 123. 

Assembly, Leislerian, 125 ; revokes fraud- 
ulent land grants ; victory over Absidu- 
tisin, 150. 

Assembly, The New York Provincial, pre- 
l)ares for war, lfi4. 

Atotar-ho, first President of the Iroquois 
Confi-deracy. 8. 

Attwooil, William. Chief-.Iustice, 129. 

Auchmuty, Hev. Dr. ,572. 

Autosee, Battle of, 400. 

B. 

Bainbridge, William. Commodore, 398. 

Ballston destroyed, 308. 

Baltimore, Attack on National troops in, 

525. 
Bank charter. A, in politics, 399, 400. 
Bariiburnprs. a political faction, 501. 
B;irneveldt, John Van Olden, Death of 

(note), 10. 



Barney, Joshua, Flotilla of, destroyed, 435. 

Barre, Count de la, and (iovernor Dongan, 
100. 

Barre, Col. Isaac. Hetort of, in Parliament 
(note), 185. 

Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty Knligliten- 
tng the World, 567. 

Bauman, Lt. -Colonel, Death of, 21)9. 

Baxter, (ieorge. commissioner at Hartford. 
58 ; biography of (note) ; prepares an in- 
dictment against Uovernor Stiiyvesant, 
05. 

Bayard, Nicholas, Secretary oi' the province 
of New York, 89 ; imprisoned, 92 ; op- 
poses Leisler, 107 ; imprisoned, 109 ; re- 
ceives grants of land, 125; a disturber 
of the public peace; convicted of high 
treason and rei>rieved, 130. 

Beaver Dams, Affair at. 412. 

Beeckman, Dr. (ierardus. Interview of, 
with Stuyvesant, 00; imprisoned, 92; 
convicted of treason and pardoned, 110, 
111; biography of (note), 110. 

Beeckman, William, ascfiepeii, 02, 89 ; Vice- 
Director of New Anislel ; biography of 
(note), 72. 

Bellomont. Earl of. Governor of New York, 
120. 121; administration of, 123. 124; 
favors the Leisler family. 124 ; death iiid 
character of, 1'25. 

Bellomont and Livingston, 122. 

Bellows, Uev. H. W., and the Sanitary 
Commission ; biography of (note), 527. 

Bemis's Heights, Battles on, 374-276. 

Bennett, James Gordon, 483. 

Bennington. Battle of, 209. 

Benson, Egbert, first Attorney-General, 
200 ; in New York Legislature ; biog- 
raphy of (note), 337, 338. 

Berkeley, John, Proprietor of New Jersey, 
86. 

Beverswyck, 45. 

Biddle, Captain James, 439. 

Billop House, Peace Conference at the, 
244. 

Binckes, Jacob, Proclamation of, 89. 

Binnenhof, The, Hall of Hepresentatives 
16. 

Bisshopp, Lt. -Colonel, Death of, 413. 

Black Kock. Affair at, 4l:i. 

Bladensburg, Battle of, 430. 



INDEX. 



595 



Blakely, Cai)ta'm .lohiisoii, Loss of, 43S. 

Bleecker, Aim Eliza, poet, 573. 

Blork, Aiirien, Diilcli navitrator ; builds a 
8lii[) at .Manhattiiu ; discoveries of, 15. 

Bloiumaert, Samuel, a patroon. ;i'2. 

Bloodshed, Tlie last, iu tlje Revolution, 320. 

Boerstler, Colonel, at the Beaver Dams, 
412. 

Bogardus, Kev. Everardus, first settled pas- 
tor in New Netlierland, 34, 35, 5GS ; re- 
bukes the Governor, 52 ; death of, 53. 

Bolintjbroke, Lord, plans expedition 
against Quebec, 131! ; biography of (note), 
136. 

Bolton, Robert, hi.'^torian, 574. 

Boom at TIconderoira and Mount Indepen- 
dence. 265 ; at West Point, 253. 

Borgne, Lake, American flotilla on, 441. 

Boscawen, Admiral, 173. 

Bc^ston massacre. The, 202. 

Bo.stou Port Bill, Effect of the, 206. 

Boston, Siege and surrender ot, 234. 

Bost(m tea-party, The, 205 ; effects of the, 
206. 

Bostonians. Sympathy tor the, 207. 

Bouck, Wm. t'.. (jovernor ; biography of 
(note), 497. 

Boundary line between Xew York and 
Connecticut ; The Oblonji, 142. 

Boyd, Jolin Parker, at Chrysler's Field; 
biography of (note), 416. 

Braddock, Edward, meets Colonial govern- 
ors ; death of, 163. 

Bradford, William, and the Nein York 
Gazette, 143. 

Bradley, Attorney-Ueneral of New i'ork, 
145, 152-154. 

Bradstreet, John, provisions the garrison 
at Oswego, 16S ; biography of (note), 
174 : captures Fort Frontenac, 175 (note), 
176. 

Bradstreet, Simon, English commissioner at 
Hartford in 1650, 58. 

Brandt (or Brant), Joseph, organizes scalp- 
ing parties ; desolates Springfield and the 
Schoharie Valley, 2i)0 ; Sir John Johnson 
and the Butlers, allies of, 201 ; (note) 
humanity of, 201, 292. 

Branilywine Creek, Battle at, 286. 

Brant, John, at Queenstovvn battle, 395 ; 
at the Beaver Dams, 413. 



Brasher, Abraham, 110. 

Breyman, Colonel, commands riHemen, 
275; mortally wounded, 2S1. 

Brewster, Elder Wm,, leads the ■' Pil- 
grims," 24. 

British expedition up the Hudson, 297. 

British plan for dividing the Colonies, 238. 

British posts in South Carolina captured, 
324. 

British troops, Depredations of, in Soutli- 
East Virginia ; join Clinton at New York, 
297 ; occupy only Charleston and Savan- 
nah in the South, 325 ; evacuate Savan. 
nail, 326 ; evacuate New Y"ork, 331. 

Brock, (jeneral Sir Isaac, on Queenstown 
Heights, 394 ; death of, 395. 

Brockliolls, .Anthony, Acting Governor, 94. 

Brodhead, John Romeyn, historian, 574 ; 
biography of (note), 574. 

Brooklyn, Settlers at (note), 26. 

Brown, Jacob, charijed with the defence of 
the Northern portion of New York ; biog- 
raphy of (note), 390 ; invades Canada, 
422. 

Brown, Colonel John, in the rear of Bur- 
goyne's army, 275 ; killed in battle at 
Stone Arabia ; biography of (note), 307. 

Brown, John, Raid of, at Harper's Ferry, 
515. 

Brugh, Johannes Van, .Mderman, 85 ; bur- 
gomaster, 89. 

Brunei, Isamberl, and the Charaplain Canal, 
349. 

Bryant, Wm. C, Notice of, 482, 575. 

Buchanan, James, President of the United 
States, 511. 

" Bucktails " and " Clintouians," 453. 

Biiel, Jesse, Notice of ; biography of (note), 
447. 

Buffalo, Destruction of, 417; in 1813; 
growth of, 469. 

Bull Run, Battle of ; effect of battle of, 
526. 

Bunker Hill, Battle of, 220. 

Burgoyne, General Sir John, in Canada, 
340 ; biography ot (note), 263 ; embarks 
on Lake Champlaiu, 364 ; feasts the Ind- 
ians; arrives at Crown Point; proclama- 
tion of, 265 and note, 266 ; takes ForU 
Ticonderoga and Independence, 266, 
267 ; pushes on to the Hudson River, 268 ; 



■)0C 



INDEX. 



figlits tbe Aiiierirans near the IIudBou, 
274-381 ; encamps on Sarutogn Heights, 
374 ; awaits tidings from Clinton ; pre- ■ 
pares for battle, 277 ; capitulation and 
surrender of, 281. 

Burgoyne'a invasion of New Vorl», 2():i- 
284 ; troops of, .sent to Virginia, 282. 

Burnet, Ciovcrnor William. Cliaraiter of; 
l)ioj;raiiliy of (note), Kil) ; administra- 
tion of, 139-141. 

Burning vessels at Forts Clinton and Mont- 
gomery, 284. 

Burns's Coffee-IIouse (note), 198. 

Burr, Aaron, Adroit management of, 364 ; 
biography of (note) ; Vice-President of 
the I'niied States, 304 ; President of the 
Slate Constitutional Ccmvention, 370; 
Democratic Candidate for (Jovernor, 373 ; 
quarrel and duel with Hamilton. 373, 
374; mysterious expedition of ; tried for 
treason and acquitted ; political death 
of, 375. 

Burrites, The, 379. 

Burton, Mary, and the Xegro Plot, 153, 154. 

Bute, Earl of. Prime Minister, 192 ; ruinous 
policy of, 193. 

Butler, Colonel .John, in the Wyoming 
Valley, 292-294. 

Butler, Walter, at Cherry Valley, 291. 

Butler, Colonel Zebulon, commands in the 
Wyoming Valley, 293. 

C. 

Campaign of 1755, l(i3 ; of 1756, 107 ; of 
1758, 173 ; of 1759, 178, 179. 

Campbell, Samuel, Family of, made cap- 
tive at Cherry Valley, 292. 

Campbell, Lt. -Colonel, attacks Fort Mont- 
gomery, 283. 

Campbell, William W., historian, 574. 

Canada, Invasion of, undertaken in 1690, 
115; unsuccessful attempt to conquer, 
in 1711, 134, 135 ; surrendered to the 
English, 184 ; alliance with, or conquest 
of, 222 ; preparations to invade, in 1775, 
327,228; end of invasion in 1770, 240; 
Revolutionary movements in, 489. 

Canajoharie settlement desolated, 306. 

Canal companies organized, 348. 

Canals in the State, 469, 554. 



Cape Breton surrendered lo the English, 

150. 
Carleton, Major, leads a marauding parly 

to Lakes Champlain and George, 308. 
Carleton, Sir Ouy, succeeds Sir Henry 

Clinton in command, 323. 
Caroline, Destruction of the, 490. 
Carroll, Charles, commissioner in Canada. 

239. 
Carteret, Oeorge, Proprietor of New Jersey, 

86. 
Castine, Baron de (note). 100. 
Centennial celebration and eikhibition, 553. 
Cesnola, L. P. di (note), 575. 
Chamber of Commerce (note), 369. 
Champlain, Samuel, in Northern New 

York : biography of (note), 9 ; in war 

with Northern Indians, 9, 10 ; in war 

with the Iroquois, 18. 
Champlain Canal (note), 403. 
Chancery, New Court of. established, 129. 
Chandler, General, at Stony Creek. 410. 
Charles II., Death of, 101. 
Charter of Liberties and Privileges, 97. 
Charter of Privileges and Exemptions, 31. 
Charter of Special Privileges granted, 31. 
Chase, Samuel, on a Committee in Canada, 

239. 
Chauncey, Isaac, Commander-in-chief on 

Lake Ontario, 392, 401 ; biography of 

(note), 401 ; blockades the British S(|uad- 

ron at Kingston, 431. 
Chauncey and Yeo on Lake Ontario, 415. 
Cherry Valley, Massacre at, 291, 292. 
Chrsapciika and Shannon, Battle between 

the, 417, 418. 
Chief-Justiceof New York (Pratt) appointed 

by the crown, 189. 
Children, cruelty to, Law for tbe preven- 
tion of, 554. 
Chippewa, Battle of, 424. 
Christian Commission, The, 528, 529. 
Christianity of an Indian chief proven 

(note), 124. 
Christiansen, Captain, 14 ; voyages of, to 

Manhattan Island and .Albany. 15. 
Christina, Fori, 41. 
Christina, t^ueen, 41. 
Chryslers Field, Battle at, 410. 
Churches in New York in 1750, 188. 
Cincinnati, Society of the, 329, 330. 



INDEX. 



597 



City Hall, First, in New Amsterdam (iiotf), 
63. 

Civil Rights Bill, 549. 

Clark, Myroii H., Governor, .510 ; biograpliy 
of (note), 510,511; and Virginia authori- 
ties, 512. 

Clarke, Sir George. Lieutenant-Governor ; 
biography of (note), 152. 

Clay, Henry, and the " American System," 

m. 

Clinton, De Witt, Appeal of, 234 ; first ap- 
pearance of, in political life, 3iJ6 ; duel 
of, with Swartwout, 372 ; biography of 
(note), 885; and the Erie Canal, 386; 
candidate for the Presidency of the 
United States, 400 ; character of, 445 ; 
triumph of, 452 ; elected Governor. 453 ; 
removed from office of Canal Commis- 
sioner, 460 ; weds the Lakes to the Sea ; 
death of, 473. 

Clinton, George, first Governor of the 
State, 262 ; and the Highland Forts, 283 ; 
leads troops to Ticonderoga, 305 ; leads 
troops to the Mohawk Vallev, 307; re- 
elected Governor, 353 ; Vice-President 
of the United States, 381 ; biography of 
(note), 398. 

Clinton, James, and the Highland Pons, 
283 ; biography of (note), 384. 

Clinton, Sir George, Governor ; biography 
of (note), 154 ; arrives at New York, 155 ; 
and the Assemljly, 1.58, 159 ; administra- 
tion of, 1.58. 

Clinton, Sir Henry, at Sandy Hook, 234 ; 
march of, upon Foris Clinton and Mont- 
gomery ; attacks them, 283 ; evacuates 
Philadelphia; in battle at Monmouth 
Court-House, 295 ; biography of (note), 
297 ; sails for Charleston ; captures that 
city, 308; deceived l)y misleading letters, 
322. 

Clinton's courier hung as a spy, 285. 

Coalition, .i political, 346. 

Cochran, Admiral, 433. 

Cocklnirn, Admiral, Marauding expeditions 
of, 418, 419. 

Coerten, Myudert, arrested, 110. 

Coffee, General John, in the Cre.k War, 
400. 

Colbert, French Minister. 91. 

Cclden, Cadwallader, remarks on the Five 



Nations (note), 8 ; a member of the Gov- 
ernor's Council, 139 ; and the Society 
Library, 187; Acting- Governor, 189; 
hung in effigy, and property destroyed by 
a mob, 196 ; notice of, .572. 

Cole, Thomas, artist, 575. 

College of Nineteen. The. 23, 31, 32, .52 ; 
changes the government of New Nether- 
land, .53 ; gives a burgher government 
to New Amsterdam, 62. 

Collegians in New York (note), 188. 

Collegiate (Dutch Reformed) Church 
School, and two prominent principals of 
the (note), 568. 

CoUes, Christopher, on the canal system ; 
biography of (note). 347. 

Collier. Sir George, commands a tiotilla in 
the Hudson River, 279. 

Collyer, Vincent, and the Christian Com- 
mission, 529. 

Colonial Congress at Albany, 107, 115. 

Colonial Convention at .\lbany, 161. 

Colonial Governors, Conference of, at An- 
napolis, 163. 

Colored Orphan Asylum, New York, de- 
stroyed by a mob, 534. 

Colve, Captain Anthony, Governor of New 
Y'ork ; sketch of (note), 89 ; vigilance 
of, 90. 

Commissioners of Congress sent to Canada, 
239. 

Commissioners of Indian Affairs (note), 
140. 

Committee of One Hundred (note), 217. 

Committee of Safety, 523. 

Committees of Correspondence, 210. 

Committees of Fifty-one and Vigilance, 
Feud between the. 208, 209. 

Common School Fund, Appropriations for 
a, 376 ; and tlie Roman Catholic Scho<il>', 
490, 497 ; condition of the, 360, 361, and 
note ; notice of the, .5.55, 556. 

Common Schools, Appropriations for, 376. 

"Common Sense " and it.s effect, 236, 237. 

Comptroller, Office of, created, 363. 

Compulsory Education, 5.50 ; and note on, 
551. 

Confederate agents conspire to burn New 
York City, 536 

"Confederatit States of America "-aleague 
of politicians and a misnomer, 521. 



598 



INDEX. 



CoiifediTation, ArlicU'B of. Weakness o( 
the, 327. 

Confiscation and Atiainder Acts, 2G1 ; ]«t. 
sons atTecti'ii by the (note), 202. 

Congress, called, Session of. 520. 

Conjiress, The First Continental ; mem- 
bers of, from New York, 310. 

Connecticut. Depredations on thecoa.sts of ; 
towns in, burned. 21)8. 

Connecticut Valley, Contentions for occu- 
pation of the. ;i.5. 

Consolers of the sick. Dulles of the, 32. 

Constitution of the State of New York 
formed, 257 ; adopted, 25H ; jmblished 
(note), 2.58 ; first revision of the, 370 ; 
fjovernment organized under the, 4.59, 
4(!0 ; third revision of the, 003, 504; 
amendments to, ratified, 540, 550. 

CuiixtUiiti'iii m\d Giwrriere, Battle between 
the, 397. 

Continental Army, Disbanduient of the, 
328 ; last survivors of the, 329 and note ; 
quotas for, furnished by States (note), 329. 

<'ontinental Congress, The first meelinjT of 
the. 210; resolutions of defiance; work 
of the, 211 ; effect of proceeilings fif tli<", 
213 : powers of tlie, 219 ; disarms Tories, 
233; Hight of the, to Lancaster. 287. 

Continental paper money, Counterfeit. 31'j. 

Convention of the State of New York ; as- 
sembles at Kingston, 2.)(i ; forms and 
adopts a constitution, 2.58 ; members of 
the new (note). 250. 

Conway. General, Sketch of (note), 287. 

"Conway's Cabal," 287. 

Cook, Lemuel, Biography of (note), 329. 

Cooper, James Fenimore, 5J3 ; biography 
of (note). 573. 

Cooper, My Is, D.D., President of King's 
College, 213, .572. 

Coo])er, Peter, builder of the first Ameri- 
can locomotive engine (note), ,5,55. 

Coote. Kichard. Lord Bellomont, Governor ; 
biography of (note), 130. 

Cornbury, Lord, (iovernor. Character and 
career of, 1'29-132. 

Cornell ITniversity. 540. 

Cornwall County, Location of, 98. 

Cornwallis. Karl, in battle of Long Island, 
244; in command In South Carolina; 
invades North Carolina, 309 ; chases 



Greene; at Guilford Court-llouse ; 
marches to the 8ea-co»st. 324 ; in com- 
mand in Virginia, 321, 324 ; at Yorktown, 
331 ; surrender of, 332 ; effect of the sur- 
render of. 333. 

Corrupt judges, 547. 

Cortlandt, OlofF Stevens Wn, In the Coun- 
cil of Nine. CI ; burgomaater. 85. 

Cosby, Governor, Cliaracter of, 143 ; ron- 
Hict of, with Van Dam and others, 
143. 

Council of Appointment, Com|)Osition of 
the, 259 ; actions of the, 459 ; powers of 
the, 505. 

Council of Eight, 49, .50 ; send a memorial 
to the States General concerning the 
conductor Kielt, .50, 51. 

Council of Nine, 01. 

Council of Plymouth send a colony to Cape 
Cod Bay, 24. 

Council of Revision. Composition of the, 
259 ; (note), 454. 

Council of Safety, Members of the, 260. 

Cousseau, Jacques, Alderman, 85. 

Covington, General, at Chrysler's Field. 
410. 

Cow Bay, Arms of Holland at, (iiilled 
down, 42. 

Couwenhoven, Peter Wolfertsen ^'an. a 
Hchepcii. 03. 

Craney Island, Cr)iiHict at. 418. 

Crawford, 'i'homas, sculptor. 576. 

Credit system. Collapse of the, 481. 485; 
effects of the, 486. 

Creek Indians, War against the, 406, 407. 

Creek Nation, Uuin of the, 407. 

Crittenden Compromise, The, 520. 

Croghan. Major George, at Sandusky, 404. 

Croton Aqueduct. The. 486. 

Crown Point, Expedition ngaiusl. 164; 
j fort built at. 179 ; capture of. 219 ; 
I possessed by the British. 2.52. 

Cruger. John, Biography of (note), 369. 

Cumberland County claimed by Vermont, 
316. 

C'ummings, Tlinnias S. , artist, 576. 
I Cunningham, William, British Provost 
Marshal (note), 250. 

Curler or Corlear, Arendi Van, commissary 
at Uensselaervvyck, rescues Jesuit mis- 
sionary, 40 ; biography of (not"), 49. 



INDEX. 



6'J9 



Curler, Jacob Vun, fomuiHiids Fort (iiiod 
Hope, 85. 

I). 

D'Anville, Due, Expedition of, VS. 

D' Aubrey, Colonel, commands French and 
Indians, 179. 

Davis, Jefl'erson, President of tiie "Con- 
federate States of America," Ml 

Dawson, Henry B. , historian, 574. 

Day, Benjamin H., publisher of the first 
" penny paper," 483. 

Deane, James, Indian interpreter, 281). 

Dearborn, Henry, commander of the North- 
ern Department ; biotjraphy of (note), 
393 ; resolve.s to invade Canada, 408 ; 
resignation of, 413. 

Debt, Imprisonment for, abolished, 47.S. 

De Bougainville, Errand of, 183. 

Decatur, Commodore Stephen, 398; com- 
mander of the President, 439 ; hiimblea 
the Barbary Powers ; biography of (note), 
458. 

Declaration of Independence, 237 ; read to 
the army at New York ; approved by 
the Provincial Congress, 238. 

De Cirist, Paul K. Van, a schepen, 62. 

De Heister, leader of German troops, 341. 

Delavall, Thomas, Councilman, 84. 

De Laet. historian (note), 63, 593. 

De Lancey, James, Chief-Justice, 143 ; 
presides at the (rial of Zenger, 145; and 
Governor Clinton, 158 ; biography of 
(note), 158; Acting-Governor, 159 ; death 
of, 186 ; to Lords of Trade, 180 : and 
Society Library, 187. 

De Lancey, Oliver, in the Assembly ; biog- 
raphy of (note), 313. 

Delaware River, Settlers on the, 26 ; Wash- 
ington crossing the, 354. 

Dellius, Dominie, obtains hvnd by fraud, 
120. 

De Milt, Anthony, xckout, 89; imprisoned, 
92. 

Democratic Party overthrown, 4!) : schism 
in the, 373 ; disruption of the, 516. 

Democratic Society song of " God Save the 
Guillotine," sung at meeting of (note), 
357. 

De Nonville, Dongan and, 102 ; invades the 
Iroquois country, 103, 103. 

De Peyster, Abraham, Associate-Justice ; 



biography of (cote), 129 ; and the Society 
Library, 187. 

De Peyster. Johannes, Alderman, 85 ; notice 
of (note), 85 ; burgomaster, 89, 92. 

Dermer, Captain, at Manhattan, 33. 

De liuyven, Secretary, receiver of revenues, 
, 90. 

De Sille, Nicasius, Vice-Director-Oeneral, 
67. 

Detroit, Surrender of, 181, 185. 

De Vries, David Pietersen, plants a colony 
on Delaware Bay, 33 ; leaves the colony, 
50 : prophetic words of, 51. 

De Witt, a Dutch navigator, 14. 

De Witt, Simeon, and the Erie Canal, 383, 
384 ; surveyor-general, 460. 

Dieskau, Baron de, defeated and wounded 
at Lake George, 166. 

Dincklagen, Lubberlus Van. causes the re- 
call of Van Twiller, 38 ; Provisional Gov- 
ernor, 51 ; joins in a memorial to the 
States-General, 02. 

Dix, John Adams, and School District 
j Libraries, 4S7; famous Order of, 517, 518 : 
Governor ; biography of (note), 549. 

Donck, Adriaen Van der, one of the Coun- 
cil of Nine ; imprisoned by Stuyvesant, 
61 ; presents the memorial of the Council 
of Nine to the Slates-General. 03. 

Dongan, Thomas. Governor, 96 ; biography 
of (note), 96 ; foreign relations of, 99, 
100 ; refuses to obey the King, 101 ; is 
dismissed, 103. 

Downie, Commodore, at Plattsburgh, 428. 

Draft, The, 533. 

Draft Riots in New York, 533, 534. 

Drake, .loseph Rodman, 573. 

Draper, A. S., Superintendent of Public 
Instruction, 556. 

Draper, John W., 572. 

Drummond, Lt. -General, witli Wellington's 
veterans in (,'anada; commands the British 
forces in Canada, 434. 

Duane, James, District Judge. 346 ; first 
Mayor of New York City after the Rev- 
olution, 350. 

Duchess County, Territory of ; name of 
(note), 89. 

Dudley. Guilford D., 401. 

Dudley, Joseph. Chief Justice of New York 
(note), 116. 



INDEX. 



lliike of York, Charaoter of, 93. 

Duke's County, Uocation of, 98. 

Duke's laws. The (note), 85. 

Dunlap, Hev. Mr., at Cherry Valley, 291. 

Dunla]>, \\in.. artist and historian, 57"2. 

Dunmore, Lord, (iovernor, '30;{. 

Duciuesue, Fort, 163. 

Durand, A. B., artist, 575. 

Dutch, The, on Manhattan, surrounded by 
Indians, IS ; liberality of the, 40 ; Chris- 
tian cliarity of the, 40 ; embassy of the, 
to New Plymouth, and its results, 'u ; 
embus.sy of. to Maryland, ('>8, (i9 : retake 
New York. 88, 89. 

Dutch AVe.st India Co., The, chartered ; 
features of the charter : powers of the, 

22 : favored by the States-tieneral, 22, 

23 ; organization of the, 23 ; send colo- 
nists to New Netherland, 25, 27 ; success 
of the, 30 ; offer an asylum to the op- 
pressed in New Netherland, 71. 

E. 

East and West Jersey, 94. 

Eelkens defies Van Twiller. 34. 

Election Riots in New i'ork City, 483-485. 

Elliott, Charles, artist, 575. 

Elliott, Captain Jesse D.. captures vessels 
near Buffalo, 402. 

Embariroea and Orders in Council, 378- 
381. 

Enipire State, the. Retrospect of the life 
of, 508-576 ; reliwious denominations in 
568, 569 ; political condition of, 509. 570 ; 
courts of ; trade, manufactures and ])opu- 
lation of, 571 ; statesmen, jurist.s, literary 
men, and arts and artists in, 572-57 J. 

Emuckfau, Battle of, 406. 

England, Monarchy restored in : a royal 
state trick, 71 ; Revolution in. and iis 

' effect in America, 105. 

English-American Colonists. Character and 
condition of. 185. 

English, The, in America, 101. 

English, The, in .\nierica. encroach on 
Dutch domain, 43. 

Enterprine and Boxer, Battle between, 418. 

Episcopacy in the Colonies, 185-189. 

" E(|ual Rights" Party, Action of the : dis- 
solution of the, 482. 



I Erie Canal, (ienesis of the, 382, 384 ; begin- 
I ning of the construction of the, 384, 385 ; 
preliminary measures adopted ; meeting 
in favor of the (note), 4.50; ridiculed and 
opposed, 451 ; first boat on the, 453 ; in- 
fluence of the ; prophecy concerning the 
(note), 468 ; celebration of the opening of 
I the, 403-468. 

i Erie. Fort, Capture of, by Americans. 422, 
' 4'23 ; siege of, and sortie from, 426. 
Egopus (Kingston), Settlement at, 26; 

trouble with the Indians at, 68. 
Estaing, Count de. commands a French 

naval force on the American coasts, 295. 
Europe, Condition of, in 1814, 430. 
Eiitaw Spring, Battle at, 3"35. 
Evertsen, Admiral Cornells, 88; proclama 

tion of, 89. 
Expedition against Canada, 115, 415-417. 



Falmouth (now Portland), burned, 352. 
Fashions in New York changed. 476. 
Faulkner, Major, at Craney Island, 418. 
Federal Celebration at New York. 351 ; 

consequences of the, 352. 
Federal Party, Chief leaders of the, in New 

York, 346 ; overthrow of the, 379 ; second 

overthrow of the, 386. 
Federnlint, The, 388. 
Federalists and Anti-Federalists, 337. 
Fenton, R. E. , (Jnvernor ; biography of 

(note). 536 ; and the Tliirteenth Amend- 
ment of the National Constitution, 538. 
Field, Cyrus \V., erects a monument at 

Tappan, 315. 
Field, David Dudley, and the Women's 

Relief Association, 527. 
" Fields, The." (ireat meeting in, addressed 

by young Hamilton, 208. 
Fillmore, Millard, Vice-President of the 

United States, .507. 
Financial scheme, .\. denounced (note), 

201. 
Fish, Hamilton, tJovernor. Biography of 

(note), 507. 
Fitzroy, Lord, Reception of ; marries Oov. 

ernor Cosby's daughter (note), 144. 
Five Nations, (frant of land by the, to the 

English, 12S. 



IXDKX. 



COl 



Flelcber. Benjamin, GoveriiDr, 117 ; in con- 
flict with the Assembly; at Hartford, 118. 

Forbes, General Joseph, Tardy movements 
of, 176. 

Forman, Joshua, ami the Erie Canal, 383, 
474. 

Forsythe, Major Benjamin, at Ogdens- 
biirg, 401, 408. 

Fort Amsterdam built, 29 ; treaty with Ind- 
ians at, .52 ; taken by British troops and 
named Fort James, 78. 

Fort Casimer built, .59 ; captured and 
named Fort Triuity. 60. 

Fort Christina, 41. 

Fort Clinton captured by the British, 283, 
284. 

Fort Duquesne. Capture of, 177. 

Fort Edward, built by (leneral Lyman, 
163. 

Fort Good Hope, 26. 

Fort James, Name of, changed to William 
Henry, 89. 

Fort Lee, 243 ; commanded by General 
(ireene. 248 ; abandoned, 250. 

Fort Montgomery captured by the British, 
283, 284. 

Fort Xassau on the Delaware, 26. 

Fort Necessity, Surrenderor, 162. 

Fort Niagara captured by the English. 179, 

' 180. 

Fort Orange built, 26, 46 ; surrendered and 
named Albany. 78. 

Fort Plain, 290 ; settlement desolated, 306. 

Fort Schuyler besieged by St. Leger, 269 ; 
garrison of, 270 ; relieved (note), 273. 

Fort Washington captured by the British, 
249. 

Fort William Henry, 166 ; winter expedi- 
tion against (note), 171 : massacre at, 
171, 172. 

Forts Mifflin and Mercer captured by the 
British. 289. 

Forty Fort, Surrender of, 294. 

France, Treaty'of .\lliance with, 294. 

Francis, Dr. J. W., Notice of, .57.5. 

Franklin, Dr. B., commissioner in Canada, 
239. 

Fraser, General, commands grenadiers ; 
fatally wounded ; death and burial of 
(note). 280. 

Fraunce, Samuel (note), 331. 



Free Colonists, Commercial privilegrs ex- 
tended to, 14. 

Free School District Libraries established, 
487. 

Free School Society, 376 ; members of the 
(note), 376. 

Free Schools established by law, 50.5, .506 ; 
law for, repealed. .507, .508. 

Free-will Offerings of the loyal people 
during the Civil War, 529. 

Fremont, John Charles, candidate for the 
Presidency of the T'nited Stales, 511. 

French, Activity of the, in seeking power ; 
settlements of the, 160 ; aggressive move- 
ments of the, 161. 

French emigrants. Effect of, on New York 
society, 358. 

French forces at Newport, 309. 

Frencli and Indian War, The, 162-184. 

French Neutrals — Acadians, 103. 

French Kevolution, Intiuence of, in Amer- 
ica, 3.53. 

French vessel driven froiu Manhattan Har- 
bor, 26. 

Frenchtown, Massacre at, 404. 

Freneau, Philip, ' Poet of the Revoluiinn," 
592. 

Friendsor Quakers, Attitude of, during the 
Civil War (note), ,524. 

Frontenac, Count Louis, Governor of 
Canada ; conduct toward the Five Na- 
tions ; builds a fort. 91; invades New 
York, 114 : performs an Indian war- 
dance, 110 ; invades the Iroquois country, 
118. 119; death of. 119. 

Fry, Colonel Joshua, commands Virginia 
troops, 162, 

Fulton. Robert, and navigation by steam : 
biography of (note), 377. 



Gabry, Timothy. Alderman, 85. 

Gage, Thomas, fortifies Boston Neck, 215. 

Gaines, General E. I'., succeeds General 
Ripley, 425. 

(ialphin Fort, Capture of, 325. 

Gardiner. Lyon, settles on Gardiner's Isl- 
and, 42. 

OMpe, Burning of the (note), 304. 

Gates, General Horatio, supersedes General 



G02 



INDKX. 



Schuyler ; on Beiiiis's Heights, 274 ; con- 
duct of, 376 ; juiilousy of, displayed, 
277 ; receives thanks uiid a gold medal 
from Conirress. 282. 

GeiiiTiil Conijr>-ss. A, rocommeiuied, 207 ; 
dnlegfttes to, from New York, appointed, 
209. 

Cienet, Edmund C, Minister of the French 
Republic, '^'t',i ; arrival of, 3.)4 ; tits out 
privateers, 354, 35j : reception of, at 
Philadelphia ; banqu-.^t in honor of (note), 
3.55 ; conduct of, 35G ; reception of, at 
New York ; recalled ; remains in America 
and marries, 357. 

George III., Kirstarbitrary act of, toward the 
Colonies, 189; ascends tlje throne. 192. 

Germain, Lady Ketty, Hemark of. 373. 

(Terman mercenaries in Canada, 240. 

Gerry, Klbridire, Vice-President of the 
United Stutes. 398. 

Gheel, Maximilian Van, a. ac?iepen, 62. 

Glover, General, on Bemis's Heights, 380. 

Godyn, Samuel, a patroon, 33. 

Golden Hill, New Y'ork Cily, Skirmish on, 
20(1. 

Gorham and Phelps, purchase land in New 
Y^ork State, 335. 

Gouverneur, Abraham, Leisler's secretary, 
imprisoned, 110; pardoned. 111. 

Graham, James, first Recorder of New York 
(note), 100. 

Granger. Francis, Anti-Masonic candidate 
for (Jovernor, 470. 

Gram, British General, in battle of Long 
Island, 244. 

(irant, Mrs., of Laggan's description of 
social life at Albany (note), 151. 

Grasse, Count de, in the Wist Indies, 321 ; 
before Y'orktown with a French fleet, 
322. 

Great Britain and Holland, War between, 
80 ; declares war against France in 1756, 
167 ; causes of war between, and the 
United States, 387 ; United States de- 
clares war against, 387, 388 ; opposition 
to the war with, 388. 

Greeley, Horace, candidate for the Presi- 
dency of the United States, 548. 

Green Mountain Boys. 191 ; at Ticondero- 
ga, 318 ; at Crown Point, 219 ; employ- 
ment of, in the army, 223. 



Greene, (leneral Nathaniel, in command on 
Long Island ; sick, 343 ; in South Caro- 
lina, 323 ; famous retreat of, 324 ; fights 
Cornwallis at (iuilford Court-House ; de- 
feated near Camden ; march of. toward 
Ninety-Six, 324 ; siege of Ninety-Six, by ; 
on the High Hills of Santee : battle of, 
at Eutaw S|>rings ; rewards given to, 32.5. 

Griunell, Moses H., at a war-meeting ; 
biography of (note), 522. 

Grotius condemned to imprisonment, 20. 

Guilford Court-House, Battle at, 324. 

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden killed at 
Lutzen, 41. 

II. 

Hague, Resideuceof Coiinis of Holland at 
the, 10. 

Hale, Nathan, Fate of (note), 246. 

Halleck, Fitz-Greeue, 573, 574. 

Hamilton, Andrew, defends Zenger, 145 ; 
address of, to the jury, 146 ; triumph of, 
and honors to. 146, 147. 

Hamilton, .\lexander, speaks at "TbeOreat 
Meeting" ill The Fields, 208 ; at Arnidd's 
headciuarters, 31:! ; in the National Con- 
vention, 336 ; biography of {note). 337 ; 
the chief writer of T/ii' J'\(ltratiKl,3'SH; 
in the State Convention at Pouglikeep- 
sie, in 1788. 341 ; Secretary of the 
United States Treasury, 340; helps in 
tlie establishment of the Board of Re- 
gents in New York, 362 ; death of, 375 ; 
allusion to, 572. 

lliimilton and Burr. 373, 375 ; duel be- 
tween, 374, 375. 

Hampton, General Wade, in Northern New 
Y'or . ; character of, 413, 415. 

Hard-Cider Campaign, The, 494. 

Hardy, Commodore Cl.arles, Character of, 
419. 

Hardy, Sir Charles, Governor of New 
Y'ork, 100 ; leaves the province, 186. 

Harlem, Village of, founded, 69. 

Harlem Plains, Battle on, 247. 

Harper, .lames, Mayor of New York, 485. 

Harper's Ferry. .lohn Brown's raid at. 515. 

Harrison, Richard, United States Attorney 
for New York, 346. 

Harrison, General Wm. Henry, marches 
for the recovery of Michigan, 403, 404 ; 



ixnfix. 



r.o:j 



builds Fort Meiws, 404 ; wins a battle 
at the Tliames, and recovers Michigan, 
40G ; becomes Presideiit of the United 
States, 494. 

Hartford. Conferenre at, between tlie Dutch 
and English, in IfioO ; and the result, 58, 
59. 

Hartford Convention, The, in 1814, 44:5, 
444. 

Hathorn, Colonel, commands troops at 
Minisink, 301, 302. 

Hatteni, Arendt Van, burgomaster, 62. 

Haviland, Colonel, at Montreal, 184. 

Hawley, Jesse, and the Erie Canal, 383. 

Hawley, Jesse. Superintendent of Public 
Instruction, 446 : removal of, 454. 

Heath, General William, in command in 
the Highlands, 348. 

Heathcote, Caleb, Biojrraphv of (note), 132, 
133. 

Hell-Gate, 23. 

Hendrick, King, at Lake Georfie ; and 
William Johnson, 165 ; death of, 106. 

Hendricksen. Captain, before the States- 
General, 16, 18 ; exploring voyage of, 
18. 

Herkimer, Nicholas, commands Tryon 
County militia, 270 : defeated at Oris- 
kany ; biography of. 271 ; death of, 272. 

Heyn, Admiral, Exploit and death of, 30. 

Hi-a-watha, Death of daughter of, 4 ; ser- 
vices and departure of, 4, 5. 

Hickey, one of Washington's Life Guard. 
Crime and execution of, £36. 

Hohkirks Hill, Battle of. 324. 

Hoboken, Massacre of Indians at, 48. 

HotTman, John T., Governor, 541 ; hioy- 
raphy of (note), 542. 

" Holder of the Heavens," Legend of, 3. 4. 

Holland, Prosperity of, anticipated ; social 
condition of, 19-21. 

HoUaudare, Peter, 52. 

Holmes, Captain, puts a house on the site 
of Hartford. 38. 

Holt's Journal, Devices on, 211, 212. 

Hone, Philip, Mayor of New York ; biog- 
raphy of (note), 464. 

Hongers, Hans, 14. 

Hopkins, Commodore Esek, Exploits of, 
252. 

JIiir.iKt and Peacock, Battle between, 417. 



Horseshoe Hend, liatlle of, -107. 

Ilotham, Commodore, on the Hudson Kiver, 
283. 

Hough, Franklin B., historian, 574. 

Howe, Lord, on Lake George, 173, 174 ; 
death of, 174 ; biography of (note). 175. 

Howe, Admiral Richard, before New Vork 
with a fleet ; a peace conimiBSioner. 242. 

Howe, General William, goes to Halifax 
from Boston, 235 ; before New York with 
troops ; joined by Sir Henry Clinton, 
24i ; in battle on Long Island, 244 ; at 
White Plains, 248 ; captures Fort Wa.sh- 
ington, 249 ; in battle of Brandywine 
Creek, 286 ; lakes Philadelphia, 287 ; 
succeeded by Sir Henry Clinton, 295. 

Howe and Washington confront each 
other in New Jersey, 286. 

Hubbardton, Battle of, 267. 

Hudson, Henry. Biography of (note) ; seeks 
a northeast passage to India, 10, H : 
discovers New York Bay, 1 1 ; voyages 
on the river that bears his name, 12 ; de 
tained in England, 13 ; perishes in Polar 
waters, 14. 

Hudson Highlands, Obstructions of the 
river in the. 253. 

Hudson River, Names of the (note), 13; 
Krst trading vessels in the, 14 ; associa- 
tions of the, 561 ; manors on the, 561 - 
565. 

Hughes, .-Vrchbishop, and the Comnioa 
School Fund. 497 ; biography of (note), 
496. 

Hughson, John, a victim of the " Negro 
Plot" affair, 153. 

Huguenots in New York. 148. 

Hull, Captain Isaac, 397. 

Hull, (ieneral William, in Michigan ; sur- 
renders Detroit, 389. 

Hunkers, a pidiiical faction. 501. 

Hunt, Washington, Governor; biography 
of (note); administration of, 508. 

Hunter, Uobert. Governor; character of, 
137, 138 ; brings Palatines to New York. 
137 ; administration of. 137, 138. 

" Hunters' Lodges" suppressed, 491. 

Huntington, Daniel, President of the Na- 
tional Academy of the Art.s of Design, 
576. 

Hutcbings, William, one of the last two 



til 14 



I.NDKX. 



survivors of lli« Continental Army (noti'l, 

839. 
Hiitdiinson, Anne, Slietrli of (noti). 49. 
Hyile. Sir Eclwiini (Lord Cornbury), Oov- 

ernor of New York, 129. 

I. 

Independence, Yeiirninjis of the people for ; 
Piiine's plea for, SUti : resolutions for, 
adopted ; Declaration of, adopted, 237, 

2:i8. 

Indian Ali'air.s, Hoard of ComniisHioners of, 

93, 227. 
Indian Fort (note), 17 ; Clianiplain's attack 

on the, 17, \S. 
Indian tribes iu New York. 3. 
Indian war, A fii'rci', kindled by Kieft, 49. 
Ingoldsliy, Richard, demands jKjssession of 

the fort at New York, lOi), 1 10 ; notice 

of, 117 ; Actinij-Governor of New York. 

134 ; biography of (note), 186. 
Inman, Henry, artist. 575. 
Investigating Committee, concerning the 

Krie Canal, Work of the, 0.54. 
Iroquois Confederacy, Origin of the, 3-5 ; 

Indian nameof the, ; polity of the. (i-9 ; 

totemic system of the, 7 ; customs of tlie. 

8, 9 ; final disappearance of the, 334. 
Irvinir, Peter, Heference to, 572. 
Irving, \^'ashington, Biography of (nole), 

572. 
Izard, General Georjre, on the Niagara 

frontier : biojrrajihy of (note), 420. 



Jackson, .Andrew, at war with the Creek 
Indiana, 40() : at Pensacola, Mobile, and 
New Orleans, 441; gains a victory at 
New Orleans; honors awarded to, 442 ; 
President of the United States, 474. 

James II. King of England, and the New 
York "Charter of Liberties," 101 : at- 
tempts of, to make the Roman Catholic 
the Slate religion ; and French Jesuit 
niifsions in New Y'ork, 103, 104 ; Hies 
to France, 104. 

James, Major, Country residence of, deso. 
lated, 190. 

Jarvis, J. Wesley, artist, 575. 



Jay, John, and the State Constitution, 257, 
258 ; biography of (note), 257 ; first Cliief- 
Justice of tlie State, 2G0 ; one of the 
writers of The Federitlist. 338 ; Chief- 
Justice of the I'nited States Supreme 
Court, 341) ; (iovernor of New York, 3f>3 ; 
a political writer, 572. 

Jay, William. Notice ol; biojrraphy of 
(note), 451. 

Jay's treaty c<msidered, 358, 359 ; burned 
by tlie populace; treatment of, at Charles- 
ton, 359. 

Jefferson, Thomas, writes the neclaration 
of Independence, 227 ; liis suspicions of 
the Federalists, 253, 254 ; his opinion 
of Hamilton ; leader of the Republican 
Party, 354 : Vice-President of the United 
States, 3U3 ; President of the United 
States, 3()G. 

Jersey, The, a prison ship (note), 119. 

Jesuit missions in America, 90; active in 
New York, 140; influence of the, lOtl. 

Jogues, Father, Notice of, 46. 

Johnson, Guy, Indian agent, 234 ; holds 
Indian councils, 225, 22l>. 

■Johnson, Sir John, at Johnson Hall, 227 ; 
gives his parole; biograi)hy of (note), 
231 ; breaks his parole, 240 ; flight of, to 
Canada ; coniinissioned a brigadier-gen- 
eral, 241; leads Canadians and Indians, 
264, 303 ; desolates his home neighbor- 
hood, 305 ; desolates Stone .\rabia, 308. 

Jolinstm, Lady, conveyed to Albany, 241. 

Jolinson, William, at a conference at Al- 
bany, 157 ; Indian commi.-isioner in com- 
mand of provincial troops, 104, 165 ; 
and King Ilendrick (note), 165 ; in bat- 
tle at Lake (ieorge ; builds Fort \Vill- 
iam Henry, IfiO ; knighted, 166, 167; 
captures Fort Niagara, 179 ;at Montreal, 
184 ; biography of (note), 234. 

Johnson, William, and the rebellion in 
Canada ; biography of, 490. 

.lolinson, William Samuel, first President 
of King's t'ollege ; biography of (note), 
188. 

Johnson and Lyman contrasted, 167. 

John.soii's Royal Green, 270 ; defeated and 
dispersed, 271. 

Johnston, Colonel, Uritish commander at 
Stony Point, 300. 



INDEX. 



(iori 



Jones, Captain Jacob, wins a naval victory, 

397. 
Jones, John Paul, wins a naval victory, ,305. 
Jones, Samuel, Chief-Justice ; biography 

of (note), 474. 
Joris, Captain Adriaens, commands the 

Neie Netherlaiid, 25; constructs a fort 

on the site of Albany, 2G. 
Journalism, Revolution in, 482, 483. 
JumonviUe, French commander, slain, l(i3. 

K. 

Kalb, Baron de, in South Carolina, 309. 

Keaue, lieueral, defeated below New Or- 
leans, 441. 

Kent, James, and Colonel IJurr, .'!73 ; Chan- 
cellor, portrait of ; bio<;raphy of, 448. 

Kentuckians, War-cry of the, 404. 

Kidd, William, commandsa privateer, 121 ; 
becomes a pirate and is hanged ; treasure 
of, 13a. 

Kieft, (iovsrnor William, succeeds Van 
Twiller ; De Vries's opinion of, 39 ; ener- 
getic rule of ; builds a hitrlierg and church, 
40 ; snubbed by the people ; calls heads 
of families to a consultation, 43-46 : 
makes war on the Indians ; sends sol- 
diers airainst fugitive Indians at Hobo- 
ken, 48; asks the Commonalty to appoint a 
committee of conference, 49 ; recalled ; 
threatened, 51 ; de])arture and death of, 
53. 

King George, Equestrian statue of, 1!)!). 

King George's War, 155. 

King, John A., Governor, Biography of 
(note), 513 ; recommends the extension 
of the right of suflFrage to colored men, 
514. 

King Philip's War, 93. 

King William's War, 114. 

King, Itufus, United States Senator ; biog- 
raphy of (note), 341. 

King's (now Columbia) College, founded 
and chartered, 187, 188. 

Kings and Queens counties, Territory of, 98. 

King's Mountain, Battle on, 309. 

Kingston (note), 26'3 ; burned by the Brit- 
ish, 280. 

Kip, Jacob. Secretary of New Amsterdam, 
03 ; alderman ; imprisoned, 02. 



Klock's Field, Battle at. 308. 

Knowlton, Colonel. Death of. 247. 

Knypliausen. General, leader of German 
troop*. 244 ; in command of Germans at 
the capture of Fort \Va.shington. 249. 

Konick, Frederick de. commander of Stuy- 
vesant's Hag-ship in the Delaware. 67. 

Kregier, Martin, burgomaster, 62. 

L. 

La Colle Mills, Buttle at. 421. 

Lafayette, Marquis de, joins the Americaa 
army, 380 ; appointed to ro!niniB.sion an 
expedition against Canada : loyalty to 
Washington ; deceived by Gates. 288, 
289 ; in Virginia. 321 ; in New York, 
the nation's guest, 401. 
' LakeCham])lain, British force on, in 1776, 
j 252; military affairs near, 414. 
I Lake Erie, Naval battle on. 405. 406. 
j Lamb, John, an active Soi: of Liberty, 205 ; 
1 addresses the people. 201! ; biography of 
(note), 200 ; removes cannons from the 
fort at New York, 232 ; home of, attack- 
ed by a mob, 352. 

Lamb. Martha J., hi-storian. 574. 

Lancastrian and Pestalozzian systems of 
educati<m. 488. 489. 

Lansing, John. Chancellor, 371. 

Lee, Charles, sent by Wasliington to New 
York, 234 ; disobedience and treason of, 
253. 

Lee, Gideon, Mayor of New York ; wound- 
ed by rioters. 484. 

Lee, Colonel Henry, in South Carolina, 
324. 

Lee, Richard Henry, offers resolutions for 
independence. 237. 

Leggett, William. Notice of; biography 
of (note), 482. 

Legislative reforms, 471. 

L'Hommedieu, Ezra, and popular educa- 
tion ; biography of, 302. 

Leisler, Jacob, helps the FIuguenotB, 105 ; 
chosen chief ruler, tem|K>rarily, 106 ; 
organizes a provisional government, 107 ; 
tenders the fort and his power to the 
royal governor; arrested, 110; con- 
demned to death. Ill ; executed. 112. 

Leisler and Milborne, Property of, confis- 



000 



INDEX. 



cated, nud nftprwnrd restored, 112 ; re- 
mains of, lie in state at the City Hall, 
and buried in a cemetery, 124. 

Leislerians or Democrats iii political con- 
trol, 129. 

Lemon slaves' case. Tlie, 513. 

Levi, Geuernl de, alteiiipts to recover C^ue- 
bec, 183. 184. 

Lewis. Mnrgan, (ioveriior: l)iojjraj)liy <»f 
(note), ;{T4. 

Libt^rty Pole erected, 199. 

Liberal Republican Party, 548. 

Life Guard of Washington tampered with ; 
ori<;in of the (note). 285. 

Lincoln. Abniluini. President of the I'nited 
States, 511 ; calls lor troops, 522; n;- 
elected President, ~)',Hi ; assassination of, 

5;i8. 

Lincoln, General Benjamin, joins Oeneral 
Oates, 275 ; attack of, on Savannah, ;i05 ; 
surrenders Charleston, 308. 

Liquor Bill, Prohibitory, vetoed, 510. 

Literature Fund established, 301. 

Jjivinijstou, Gilbert, in Constitutional Con- 
vention at Poughkeepsie, 341. 

Livin<;;ston, .John and .Mary, 562. 

Livin;;ston, Philip, and tlw Society Library, 
187 ; President of the Provincial Con- 
gress ; biography of (note), 221. 

Livingston, Robert, Secretary of the Board 
of Commissioners of Indian Affairs, 93 ; 
controls the Provincial Convention ; ac- 
cused of uttering treasonable words, and 
goes to New Kngland. 108. 109 ; engages 
in a privateering sclieme : a friend of 
KiJd, 121, 122 ; changes his political 
position, 122. 

1/ivingston, Robert R., first Chancellor of 
the State of New York, 204: adminis- 
ters the oath of office to Washington ; 
biography of (note). 345 ; Minister at tlie 
Frencli Court, 371 ; becomes a Republican, 
304 ; assists Fulton in his steam naviga- 
tion scheme, 377 ; and the Manor House, 
503. 

Livingston, Walter, first Speaker of the 
New York Assembly, 202. 

Livingston. William, a political and theo- 
logical writer, 189, 213 ; prophetic ap- 
])eal of, 201 : on immigrants into New 
York (note), 571, 572. 



Livingstons in America, .\nce8tors of the, 
562. 

Livingston's Manor desolated, 286 ; account 
of the, 562. 

Loco-foco Party, Origin of the name of the, 
481. 

TiOng Island, English settlements on, 42 ; 
revolt on, 73 ; prt-paraiions for battle on, 
243 ; landing of Britisli troops on ; liattle 
on, 244 ; expedition against Tories on, 
315. 

Loudoun, Lord, succeeds Shirley in com- 
mand of troops ; biography of (note) ; 
sends Abercrombie to Ameriai, 107 ; on 
expedition against Louisburg, 170 ; bad 
conduct of, 109, 170. 

Louisburg, Expedition against, 1.55, 150 ; 
capture of, 173. 

Lovelace, Francis, Governor : biogra])hy of 
(note), 87 ; character of, H8. 

Lovelace, Lord John, Governor, calls a new 
Assembly, 133. 

TiOyalists, Flight of, from New York ; con- 
fiscation of property of tlie ; return of the, 
330. 

Lundy's Lane, Battle of, 425. 

Luyck. -Egidius, burgomaster, 80 : im- 
prisoned, 92. 

Lyman, General Phineas ; biography of 
(note), 104 : lieutenant of General Wm. 
•lohnson ; builds Fort Edward, 105 ; 
gains the victory at Lake George, 106. 

-M. 

McArthur, Duncan, Raid of, 433. 

McCna, .Inne. Tragedy of, '207. 

McDonnell, Lieutenant-Colonel, attacks 
Og.lensburg, 408. 

Macdonough, Thomas, on LakeCliamplain, 
414, 415 ; commands in a naval battle on 
Lake Champlain ; biography of (note), 
429. 

McDougall, Alexander, issues an offensive 
hand-bill ; imprisoned, and regarded as 
a martyr, 202. 

McDougall, Sir Duncan, (.ieneral Paken- 
ham's aide. 442. 

McEvers, James, stamp-distriljutor, re- 
signs, 180. 

McHenry, Fort, Bombardment of, 437. 



INDEX. 



r,07 



Mackinaw, Attempt to tako Fort, 4;!^. 
McKenzie, Win. 1-yon, and tlie insurrec- 
tion in Canada, 480, 490. 
McLeod, Trial and acquittal of, 491. 
McLane, Secretary Ijouis, writes Jackson's 

nullitication proclamation (note), 480. 
Macomb, Alexander, an extensive land- 
owner in Xortliern New York, 335. 
Macomb, General, in command at Platts- 

burgb, 427-431 ; biography of (note), 

430. 
Macomb and Macdonougli, recipients of 

lionors, 431. 
McNeil, Major, in battle of Chippewa. 424. 
Madison, .lames, one of the writers of The 

Federalist, 338 ; elected president of the 

United States, 381 ; re-elected, 398. 
Maiden burned, 400. 
Manning, Captain Joliu, surrenders New 

York to the Dutch ; punished (note), 89. 
Manhattan Island, 1, 13 ; purchase of , from 

the Indians, 2". 
Manhattan, Village of ; an Indian murdered 

near, 29 ; flight of settlers to. 30. 
Manhattan Water-works and Bank, 365. 
Ma|) of New Netlierland, 30, 37. 
Marauding expedition on the shores of 

Connecticut, 264. 
Marcy, \Vm. L. , captures a British flag, 

401 ; Comptroller of the State, 460 ; 

Governor ; biography of (note), 479. 
Marin, M., a French officer, 156, 170. 
Marion. Francis, the " Swamp Fox," 309. 
Mary, Queen, Death of, 129. 
Maryland, Dutch Embassy sent to, 68 ; 

invasion of, 468. 
Massachusetts, Fir.*t emission of l>ills of 

credit of, 116 ; claims of, to New York 

territory adjusted ; (note), 335. 
Mas?asoit and his family (note), 93. 
Matthews, Mayor, of New York, and a plot 

against Washington, 236. 
May, Captain Jacobseil, and the Walloons, 

25. 
Mayflower, The, lands emigrants at Cape 

Cod, 24. 
Medal, A descriptive French, 116. 
Megopolensis, Dominie, with Stuyvesant, 

against the Swedes, 67. 
Meigs, Colonel K. J,, Exploit of, in Long 

Island, 816. 



Meigs, Fort, relieved, 404. 

Melyn, Corntlis, Notice of (note), 51, 62. 

Meunonites settle near Snaanendael ; 
plundered and ruined, 72. 

Mercer, Colonel, In command at Oswego, 
168 ; surrenders, 169. 

Metropolitan Museum of Art (note), .575. 

Michigan recovered, 403, 406. 

Mifflin and Mercer, Forts, captured, 287. 

Militia of New York. Arrangement of the, 
389. 

Milbornc, Jacoli, sent to Albany, 107, 108 ; 
addresses the people ; leaves Albany, 
108 ; condemned to death and executed, 
111, 112. 

Miller, Colonel James, Exploit of, at 
Lundy's Lane, 425. 

MInisink, Raid upon the settlement of, 301. 

MInuit, Peter, Directorof New Netherland ; 
purchases Manhattan Island, 27 ; (iov- 
ernor of New Sweden ; defies Kieft, 41 : 
death of, 52. 

Minute Mi-n, Organization of, 207. 

Mitchell, Samuel L., Speech of, at the 
canal celebration ; biography of (note), 
466 ; notice of, 575. 

Moncktoii, Robert, Governor, 192. 

Monmouth. Battle of, 295. 

Monongaliela, Battle of, 163. 

Montcalm, Marquis de, French commander, 
captures Oswego, 168; biography of 
(note) ; dances with the Indians. 170 ; 
captures Fort William Henry, 171 ; in 
command at Quebec, 181. 182 : death of, 
183. 

Montgomery, John, (iovernor. Character of; 
administration of, 141 ; death of. 142. 

Montgomery, Richard, at Albany, 227; 
biography of (note), 228 ; advances upon 
St. Johns, 228, 229 ; captures it and 
Montreal, 229 ; attacks Quebec ; death of, 
230. 

Montmorenci, Falls of. Battle near, 181. 

Montreal, Indians gathered at, 170 ; cap- 
tured, 229. 

Moody, Sir J. Henry, patentee of Graves- 
end (note), 49. 

Moody, Lady Deborah, Sketch of (note), 49. 

Mooers, General Benjamin, commands 
militia ; biography of (note), 427 ; in 
battle of Plattsburgh, 430. 



<i08 



INDEX. 



Moore, Sir Henry, Governor; administra- 
tion of, 193 ; death of, 201. 

Morgan. General Daniel, defeats Tarleton 
Hi the Cowpens ; rewarded; joined by 
G reen c, 323 ; i n battle on Bemis's Heights, 
275. 

Morgan. Edwin 1)., Governor ; bionjraphy 
of (note), 'A4; conservative position of, 
.llf^, ■i\9; eneriiPlic action of. in upliolding 
the National Government. M5, .52(1. 

Morgan, Louis, historian, 57.5. 

Morgan, William, and tlie Masonic frater- 
nity, 471, 472. 

Morris, (ieorge P., 575. 

Morris, Gouverneur. Remarks of, conceru- 
inir Zenker's trial (note). 147 ; Ijiography 
of(noti-), 382; a piliticul writer, 572. 

Morris, Lewis, Chief .Instice. 143. 

Moravian Towns, Battle near the, 400. 

Morse, Siirauel F. B., artist and scientist, 
500, 575. 

Mott, Samuel, to Governor Trumbull, 228. 

Mott, Valentine, and Women's Relief Com- 
mittee, 529. 

Mount Defiance, taken possession of by the 
British, 2()(>. 

Mount Independence, (iairison of; sur- 
render of. 205. 

Munro, Colonel, surremlers Fort William 
Henry, 171. 

Murray, General, 181 ; in possession of 
Quebec, l'r3, 184. 

Murray, Lindley, author of English (i ram- 
mar and Reader, 572. 

Mutiny Act extended to New York ; op- 
posed by the Assembly, 200 ; and the 
people, 201. 

N. 

Nancy, a tea-ship, returns to Eng1aDd,206. 

Nanfan, John, Lieutenant-Governor ; dis- 
solves the Assembly, 12S. 

Nas.sau, Fort, below the site of Albany, 
built, 15; abandoned, 18. 

National affairs. Critical state of, 514-510. 

National Capital threatened, 525 ; isolated, 
520. 

National Convention at Philadelphia frames 
a new Constitution, 330, 337. 

National Constitution framed. 336, 337 ; 
adopted by New York, 341 ; XVih 



Amendment of the, adopted, .542, and 
withdrawn, 543. 

National currency. A, established, ,535. 

National Government, The, warned of dan- 
ger. 430 : weakly administered, .521. 

Native American Party, The, 485. 

Naval movements on Lake Champlain, 
251. 

Naval events on the ocean, 417, 418, and 
438, 439. 

Navigation, Steam, on the Hudson River, 
377. 

Navy, First Continental. 233, 253. 

New Amstel founded and perished, 72. 

New Amsterdam, .59 ; organized as a city ; 
municipal oIKcers of, 02 ; emigrants from 
New England at, (i3, 04 ; popular assem- 
bly at, ()4 ; city .seal of, sent to, 00 ; 
menaced with destruction by Indians, 07, 
08 ; social aspects of, 09, 70 ; described, 
79 ; social condition of the people of, 
80-82. 

Neutrality. Proclamation of. 354. 

New England coasts, Events on the, 433. 

New Hampshire Committee of Safety, 
Action of the, 228. 

New Hampshire Grants, The, 190, 191 ; 
events im the, 310. 

New Haven Colony, The, .58. 

Needham, Robert, councilman, 84. 

Negro Plot in 1712, 138; in 1741, 152, 
154. 

Newburgh Letters or Addresses, The, 327 ; 
action of Washington on the, 328. 

New Gottenburg, Fort. .52. 

New Jersey, Latin name of, 78 ; given to 
Berkeley and Carteret. 80 ; Washington's 
tlight across, 253. 

New Netherland, Province of, created, 28 ; 
government of, under Dut<-h rule, 79. 

New Plymouth, Relations between, and 
Manhattan, 50, 57 ; Dutch mission to, 
57. 

New Sweden, 41. 

Newspapers in New York, 211. 

New York City, Government of, 85 ; name 
of, changed to New Orange, 89 ; city 
and county of, 97 ; political divisions of 
(note), 99 ; state of society at, 151 ; im- 
portant social events in, 186 : British 
invasion of ; great fire in 1776, 247 ; 



INDEX. 



);o<) 



evacuation of, by the British troops, 

331 ; Washiugton with civil officers en- 
ters ; civil govermuent rei-stablislied in. 
331 ; the foundationa of its greatness laid, 

332 ; residence of the National Govern- 
ment at ; inauguration of President 
Washington at, 34-1 ; condition of, one 
hundred years ago, 350,351 ; at the begin- 
ning of the nineteenth century, 367, 308 ; 
benevolent institutions in, 309; churches 
in, 370 ; patriotic popular movements 
at, 434 ; grand canal celebration at, 4G3 
468 ; Mayor first elected by the people ; 
conservatism of the merchants of the. 
520; charter of, amended, 543; plun- 
dered by the " Tweed Ring," 545-547 ; 
other plunderers (note), 547 ; attractive 
features of, 566, 567 ; harbor of, 567. 

New York Province ; area, topography, 
and canals of, 1 ; farms, population, 
manufactories, birthplace of, 2 ; Indian 
tribes in, 3 ; first political organization 
of the ; conduct of divine worship in the, 
84 ; laws imposed upon the people of 
the, 85 ; divided into counties, 87, 88 ; 
consolidated with New England, 103 ; 
violence of party spirit in ; social con- 
dition of, 148, 149 ; state of political so- 
ciety in, 204 ; delegate of, in the Con- 
tinental Congress, 210, 215; Provincial 
Congress of, 215, 216 ; members of the 
Provincial Congress of (note), 216 : pa- 
triotic elforts of the, 217, 218 ; condi- 
tion of, 221 ; important events in, 256. 

New Yiirk State, First Constitution of, 
adopted ; features of the, 250, 260 ; choice 
of State officers of, 262 ; session of Legis- 
lature of ; claims tothe soil of, 333; seals 
of (note), 333, 334 ; reserves the right to 
collect import duties, 335 ; advocates 
more power for Congress in the matter of 
revenue, 336 ; Legislature of first, sanc- 
tions a movement toward the formation 
of a National Constitution (note), 336; 
Constitutional Convention of, 338, 339 ; 
members of the, 339 ; ratifies the Na- 
tional Constitution ; first member of the 
National Congress from, 341 ; political 
divisions of, 342 ; early settlements in 
the interior of, 342, 343 ; emigrants from 
New England to, 342 ; political parties in, 



343 ; ]X)wer of the Governor of ; num- 
ber of voters in, 346 ; inland navigation 
of, 347 ; recuperation of, 349 ; ruling 
families in, 371 ; defences of, 380; meas- 
ures for defence of, provided, 448 ; popu- 
lation, resources and influence of, 458; 
new era in history of, 402 ; condition 
of, 517 ; Legislative action of, 517-519; 
prompt response of, tothe President's call 
for troops. 522; patriotism, generosity 
and faith of, .520 ; contributions of men 
and money for the Civil War, in 1S64, 
by, 537, 538 ; decrease of, in population 
during the war ; patriotic resolutions of 
the Legislature of ; adopts the XlVth 
Amendment to the National Constitution; 
a free school system for, 539 ; revised 
Constitution of. rejected, 540 ; |x>Iitical 
divisions of, .556 ; new State House of ; 
funded debts of ; population of (note), 
557 ; industrial products of, .558, 559 ; 
rank of, in intelligence and wealth, 559, 
500 ; church organizations in, .500. 

New York on the New Hampshire Grants. 
Relation of. 189-191. 

Niagara, Fort, Artillery duel at, 402. 

Niagara frontier in Canada seized by the 
Americans, 410 ; desolation of the Niag- 
ara frontier, 417. 

Nicola. Colonel, proposes a kingship for 
Washington, 327. 

NicoUs, Matthias, Secretary of the province 
of New York ; provincial council of. 84 ; 
Speaker of the Provincial Assembly, 84. 

Xicolls, Richard, commands an expedition 
against New Netherland ; surrender of 
the province to, 75-78; Governor of; 
biography of (note), 87. 

Nicholson, Francis, Lieutenant-Governor, 
deserts his post, 107. 

Nine, Council of, The, 56 ; papers of, seized 
bv Stuyvesant ; sends a memorial and 
remonstrance to the States-General ; asks 
for a burgher government, 61, 02. 

Ninety-Six. Fort, Siege of, 325. 

Non- importation League, 197. 

Normal College at New York (note), 497. 

Normal School at Albany, 488. 

North, Lord, Retirement of, 323. 

North Point, Battle of ; death of General 
Boss at, 437. 



•no 



INDEX. 



Nonliern New York, Events in, 420, 421. 
Nullification movement suppressed, 480. 
Nuptials lit' tlie lakes and the sea, 4G0. 

O. 
Oblong, Tlie. 142. 
O'Couor, Charles, and the " Tweed Ring," 

547. 
Ogden, Uobert, litO. 
0(jr(leiial)ur{;. Attacks upon, 101, 408. 
Ohio country, Conflictinjj claim.s to the, 

ir,i. 

Onondaga country protected, 128 ; expe- 
dition against the, 301. 

Onrust (Ht'stli'SH), first ship built on Man- 
hattan Island, 15. 

Ontario, Lake, Vessels on. ^90, ;i!)l. 

Orangeburg, British forces at, and retreat 
from, 32."). 

Orange County, Territory of, 08. 

Ordinance for special privileges, 1,3. 

Osborne. Sir Panvers, Governor, l.W. 

Oswego. Capture of, by the British, 421. 

Otis, James, opposes Writs of Assistance, 
li)4. 

Oxenstierna, Count of, sends a Swedish 
colony to the Delaware, 41. 

P. 

Paine, Thomas, writes "Common Sense," 

23(i. 
Paine, Judge, decision of, in the Lemon 

case. Effects of the, 512. 513. 
Pakenham. (ieneral, commands the British 

at New Orleans, 441 ; death of, 442. 
Palatines sent to New York, 137. 
Paoli Tavern, Massacre near, 28(). 
Papineau, Joseph, and the insurrection in 

Canada, 489. 
Paris, Treaty of, 185. 
Parliament, Arbitrary acts of tlie, 201. 
Partisan and personal warfare, 372. 
Paterson, General, on Bemis'.i Heights, 

280. 
Patricians and Tribunes, 204. 
Patroon estates. Features of the, 31. 
Patroons, New charter for. granted, 44. 
Paulding, James K., Notice of, 572. 
Pauw, Michael, a patroon, 32. 
Peace commissioners. Foolish acts of, 242, 

24C. 



Peace commissioners apjiointed by Parlia- 
ment, 205. 

Peace faction, The, 420, 443 ; movements 
of the, and Vallandigliam, 532. 533. 

Peace with Great Britain, 442 : rejoicing 
for the return of, 449 ; treaties of, 
signed, 323. 

Pelgrave, Paul (note). 11. 

Pemaquid, Indian runner from, to Fronte- 
nac, 116. 

Penn, William, receives a grant of terri- 
tory, 94, 95. 

Pensacnla, British driven from. 441. 

People's Party, 400. 

Pepperell, William, captures Louisburg; 
biography of (note). 150. 

Perry, Oliver Hazard, on Lake Erie, 405, 
400 ; biography of (note). 405 ; in an at- 
tack on Fort George, 410; wins a naval 
victory, 405, 400. 

Petition to the King, 214. 

Phelps and Qorliam purchase lands, 335, 
343. 

Philadelphia menaced, 435 ; National Con- 
vention at, in 1787, 330, 337. 

Philipse, Adolph, 143. 

Philipse, Frederick, last " Lord of the 
Manor," 50 ; and Society Library. 187. 

Philipse, Family and Manor of, 564, 505. 

Phillips, General William, Burgoyn'e's 
lieutenant, 375; with Arnold in Virginia, 
321. 

Phipps, Sir William, naval commander, 
115 ; before Quebec, 110 ; also note. 

Pierce, Franklin, President of the United 
States, 509. 

Pike, Zebulon M., attacks York ; biog- 
' raphy of (note). 409 : death of, 410. 

Pilgrims, The, found New Plymouth, 
24. 

Piquet, Father, 150. 

Piracy during Fletcher's administration, 
120. 

Pitt, William, Prime Minister, 172 ; eni'r- 
getic and wise action of, 173 ; superseded 
by the Earl of Bute, 192; statue of, 
erected at New York, 199. 

Plattsburgh, Naval battle near, 429; battle 
on land at ; Americans victorious at ; 
British retreat from. 430 ; " The .siege of 
Plattsburgh," a song (note), 431. 



INDEX. 



Gil 



Plocklioy, Peter, leader of llu^Mennonites, 

72. 
Plowden, Sir Edmund, Absurd claim of. 



Point Levi, EnglisU batteries at, 181. 
Political division of the State, 5oG. 
Political parties and sclienies, 379. 
Political and theological discussions, 213. 
Pontiac's conspiracy, 185, 18ti (note). 
Poor, General Enoch, in battle on Bemis's 

Heights, 278. 
Pope, The, and James II., 103, 10(>. 
Popular education. Apathy of the people 

concerning (note), 4!).5. 
Porter, Captain David, Famous cruise of, 

418. 
Porter, General Peter B., at Black Rock, 

413 ; at Chippewa, 432. 
Pouglikeepsie, Flight of Legislature to, 

from Kingston, 286. 
Prence, Thomas, at Hartford, 16")0. .58. 
Press, Freedom of the, vindicated, 147. 
Prevo.st. Sir George, in Canada, 408 ; at 

Sacketi's Harbor, 411, 412; invades New 

York ; advances upon Platlsburgh ; bi- 
ography of (note), 428 ; hasty retreat from 

Plattsburgb, 4.30, 431. 
Prideaux, (ieneral, besieges Fort Niagara ; 

deatli of, 179. 
Prince of Wales, Alleged birth of, 103. 
Prinrexx, The, wrecked, 53. 
Princeton. Battle at, 253. 
Piintz. .lohn, Governor of New Sweden 

instructions to, 52 ; friendly relations of, 

with Stuyvesant, 59 ; succeeded by John 

Bisingh, G(). 
Prisons and prison-ships, 249. 
Privateers, American, 439. 440. 
Privateering association, 120. 
Privy Council, The British (note), 169. 
Proctor and Tecumtha at Forts Meigs and 

Stephenson, 404. 
Provincial Congress, Migration of the, 250. 
Public Instruction, State Superintendent 

of, created, 510. 
Public property, Seizure of, by patriots, 

21.5. 
Public School Society and ward schools in 

New York City consolidated, 510. 
Public-school system in New York City, 

544. 



Putnam, Israel, Rescue of (note). 172 ; in 
command on Long Island, 244 ; com- 
mands the Highland forts, 383. 

Quaker Hill, Battle of, 296. 

Quakers at New Amsterdam. 71. 

Queen Anne's War, 132. 

Queen Esther, 294. 

Queenstown, Battle of, 393-396. 

Quebec, Surrender of, refused (note), 110 ; 

expedition against, 180; siege of, 181- 

183, 230. 

R. 

Railways in the State, and their work, 
555. 

Randall, S. S., and school district libraries, 
487-495 ; Deputy Superintendent of Com- 
mon Schools, 509. 

Randolph, Peyton, President of the Con- 
tinental Congress, 210. 

Rangers of Putnam and Rogers (note), 
172. 

Raritan Indians attacked by the Dutch, 
43. 

Rawden, General, defeats Greene at Hob 
kirk's Hill ; abandons Camden, 3'24. 

Rebellion, Beginning of the, 517. 

Red Jacket, First public appearance of, 
334; commands the Indians; biography 
of (note), 422. 

Regents, Board of, 362. 

Reid, Captain S. C, and the General Arm- 
strong, 440. 

Rensselaer, Killian Van, a jiatroon, 32 ; 
power of, 45. 

Rensselaerwyck, Colonie of, 33, 44, 46. 

Renwick, James, Notice of, 575. 

Representative Assembly at New Amster- 
dam ; defies Governor Stuyvesant ; names 
of members of the (note). 65. 

Representative Council, A 6rst, in New 
Netherland, 40. 47 ; name of the. 47. 

Republican Party, Formation of the, 511 ; 
character of the, 512. 

Republicanism appears in New Nether- 
land, 04. 

Retreat of the .Vmericnn army from Long 
Island, 245; to Harlem Heights, 247. 



Gl;2 



INDKX. 



Revolution in England, Etfect of, in 

America, 105. 
Rhode Island, D'Estainnat : military events 

on, 29G ; evacuated by the British, 300. 
Riall, (leneral, cominand.-i the British at 

Chippewa, 4)ii, 421 : retreats to tjueens- 

town, 424. 
Rice, Victor M., first Superintendent of 

Public Instruction, fllO. 
Richmond County, Territory of, 98. 
Riedesel, General, commands German mer- 
cenaries, 240, 204 ; on Bemis's Heights, 

276. 
Riedesel, Baroness de, Slietch of (note), 204, 
Riker, Richard, Duel of; biography of 

(note), o?2. 
Riot between religious factions, 544. 
Ripley, General, on the Niagara frontier, 

422-425 ; superseded by General Gaines, 

425. 
Risingh, John, Governor of New Sweden, 

00. 
River Indians imposed upon by Kiift and 

traders, 42. 
Rivington, James, abuses the "Sons of 

Lilierty ;" printing-house of, destroyed ; 

biography of (note). 233 ; notice of, 572. 
Robinson, Beverly, Correspondence of, with 

Ethan Allen, 317, 318; biography of 

(note), 318. 
Robinson, Kev. John, and emigration to 

America, 21. 
Rochambeau, Count di^ Arrival of, with 

French troops, I'O'J ; biography of (note), 

320; leiid.s French troops to the Hudson 

River, 321. 
Rochester, Growth of, 409 ; Pagan rites at, 

in 1813 (note), 470. 
Rodgcrs, Commodore John, at Sandj' 

Hook ; biography of (note), 397 ; long 

cruise of, 418. 
Roelandsen, Adam, first schoolmaster at 

New Amsterdam, 34, 508. 
Rogers, .Major Robert, Biography of (nolr), 

84. 
Roman Catholic iiriests, Hanging of, au- 
thorized by law, 126. 
Ross, General, commands British troops in 

Maryland, 435 ; death of, 437. 
Royal cimimissioners with Colonel Nicolls 

at New Amsterdam, 75. 



Ruggles, Timothy, in Stamp Act Congress, 

190. 
Hyswyk, Treaty at, 123. 

S. 

Sackett's Harbor, Hostilities at, 391, 411. 

Safety Fund System, 474. 

St. Clair, General, in command at Ticon- 
deroga, 2(i5 ; abandons Fort Ticonderoga 
and escapes, 20(1. 

St. Johns, Capture of, 229. 

St. Leger invades the Mohawk Valley ; 
operations there, 204-270, 273 ; notice of 
(note), 273. 

St. Regis, First trophy of the war (1812- 
1815), taken at, 401. 

Sandlord, Nathan, Chancellor, 459. 

Sanitary fairs and the results, 528. 

Saratoga, Destruction of, 156. 

Savage. John, Cliief-Justice, 459. 

Savings-banks established, 553. 

Schenectady, fjestruclion of, 114. 

Schmidt, Claas, murdered, 43. 

Sdioharie Valley, Fcirts in the, 290 ; deso- 
lation of the, 300. 

School System, the Common, Improve- 
ments in, suggested, 471. 

Schoolcraft, Henry P., authority on Iridian 
life, 573. 

Schuyler, Captain John, menaces Montreal, 
115. 

Schuyler, Mayor Peter, opposes Milborne, 
108 ; influence of, over the Indians, 134 ; 
goes to England with Indian sachems; 
biography of (note), 135 ; and the germ 
of tlie Society Library, 187. 

Schuyler, Philip, Life and property of, 
destroyed at old Saratoga, 1,57. 

Scliuyler, Philip, at Oswego ; leader of the 
Opposition in the Assembly, 213. 214 ; 
Commanding General of the Northern 
Department, 222 ; looks after the Tories 
in the Mohawk Valley ; expedition of, 
to Jolmstown ; disarms the Tories. 231 ; 
authorized to invade Canada, 223 ; oper- 
ations of, in the Mohawk Valley, 224; 
at Fort Edward ; proclamation of, 207, 
208 ; obstructs the march of Burgoync, 
207 ; indignant because of injustice at a 
council of war, 273 ; property of, de- 



IXDEX. 



613 



8troyed by the British array (note) ; en- 
tertains Burgoyne at Albany, 281 ; letter 
of, to (iovernor Clinton, 317 ; first New 
York member of the National Senate, 
341 ; father of the canal system of New 
York, 347 ; journal of, in 1802, 349. 

Scott, John, a disturber of the peace in 
Long Island, 73. 

Scott, Jolin Morin, member of a Council 
of Safety, 260; the first Secretary of 
State, 362. 

Scott, Winfield, on Queenstown Heights, 
393 ; at the capture of Fort tieorge, 410 ; 
in command at the battle of Cliippewa, 
424 ; at battle of Lundy's Lane, 424, 
425. 

Seal, The fireat, of the province of New 
Y'ork (note), 109 ; seals of the State 
(note), 141. 

Sears, Isaac, a leading " Son of Liberty ;" 
biography of, 208 : arrest of, 216 ; de- 
stroys Rivington's priniing-house, 283. 

Seneca Nation, The, desolated by Sulli- 
van, 304. 

Seventh Regiment, National Guard, quells 
riots, 483 ; goes to the field, 528. 

Seward, William H., in the State Senate, 
476 ; Governor ; biography of (note), 
492 ; first encounter of, witli the slave 
power, 493. 

Seymour, Horatio, Governor ; biography of 
(note), 509 ; vetoes a prohibitory liquor 
bill, 510 ; and the Draft Riots, 534. 

Sharp, Jacob, gives books for a public 
library, 187. 

Sharpe, Governor, of Maryland, conmiauds 
Colonial forces, 103. 

Sheafife, General, succeeds Brock in com- 
mand, 395. 

Shirley, General William ; biography of 
(note), 1.53 ; contemplates conquests, 157; 
jneets Braddock in conference, 163 ; 
commands an expedition against Forts 
Niagara and Frontenac, which was aban- 
doned; succeeds Braddock in command, 
167. 

Shute, Swen, commands Swedish soldiers 
at Fort Casinier, 00. 

Simms, Jeptha R., historian, 574. 

Six Nations, the, Conference of, with Shir- 
ley, 157 ; council with the (1778), 289 ; 



boundary of the territory of the, defined ; 
cession and sales of the lands of, 334. 

Skene, I'liilip, Biography of, 207. 

Skenesborough, Flight of Americans to, 
from Ticonderoga, 260. 

Slave trade, The, 138. 

Slavery in New York, Abolition of, recom- 
mended, 363, 451 ; final abolition of, in 
the United States, 531. 

Slechtenhorst, Brandt Van, commissary at 
Rens.selaerwyck, defies the authority of 
Stuyvesant ; sketch of (note), 60. 

Sloughter, Governor Henry, 109 ; signs 
the death-warrant of Leisler and Mil- 
borne, 112. 

Smith, William, on Lord Cornbury (note), 
133 ; letter of, to Colonel Schuyler (note), 
209 ; historian of New York, 572. 

Smith, William, counsel for Zenger, 144. 

Smith, William S., Marshal, 340. 

Smytlie, General, Absurd conduct of, 403. 

Social phenomenon, A strange, 548. 

Society Library, Founding of the ; names 
of the founders of the, 187. 

Sous of Liberty, The, work for Zenger, 
145 ; members of the association of the 
(note), 195 ; activity of the, 217. 

South Carolina, Partisan leaders in, 309 ; 
rebellious position of, 510. 

Soutlnvick, Solomon, 399; biography of 
(note), 447. 

Spiegel, Laurens Van der, mhepeii, 89. 

Spencer, Ambrose, Biography of (note), 
432. 

Spencer, John C, Superintendent of Com- 
mon Schools ; biography of, 494 

Stamp Act proposed and opposed, 194-198 ; 
effects of the, 197 ; repeal of the, 198. 

Stamp .\ct Congress at New York, 196. 

"Star Spangled Banner, The." Origin of 
the song of (note), 437. 

Stark, John, reconnoitres Ticonderoga, 
175. 

State Constitutional Convention, T>istin- 
guished members of the, 455. 

State Government put into operation, 260- 
262 ; plan of, arranged by a committee 
(note), 260. 

State Constitution, Revision of the, 455- 
457. 

State Lotteries, 459. 



6U 



IXDKX. 



State Park, A, 550. 

Stateii Isliunl, Colonies on, 42 ; claiuieil by 
Lady Carteret, 95. 

Slate.s General of Holland, 15. 

Statesmen and jurists, 575. 

Steamship, Tlie first, that crossed the At- 
lantic Ocean ; of war, the first (note), 
378. 

Steenwyck, Cornells, Maynr and wise coun- 
cillor ; biography of (note), 88, 89 ; im- 
prisoned, 92. 

Stepluns, Alexander 11., and the Southern 
Confederacy, .531. 

Stephenson, Fort, Defence of, 404. 

Steuben, Baron von, in Virginia ; biography 
of (note), 320, 321. 

Stewart, Captain Charles, and the Constitu- 
tion fri<;ate ; biography of (note), -!38. 

Stewart, Colonel, Hriti.sh commander, re- 
treats from Orani;eburg and fights at 
Eutaw Springs ; retreats to Charleston, 
335. 

Stirling, Lord, Charter given to, 42. 

Stirling, General Lord, in battle on Long 
Island, 244; made prisoner; biography 
of (note), 245. 

Stone Arabia desolated, 308. 

Stone, William L. , reporter in the State 
Constitutional Convention in 1821, 4.55 ; 
historian of the canal celebration ; biog- 
raphy of (note), 403 ; historian and jour- 
nalist, 574. 

Stony Creek. Battle of, 410, 411. 

Stony Point, Capture of, by Wayne, 299, 
300. 

Stony and Verplanck's Points captured by 
the British, 297, 298. 

Strieker, General, in battle of North Point, 
437. 

Stuart Kings, The, chartered slave-trading 
companies (note), 138. 

Stuyvesant, Peter, Biographical sketch of 
(note), 53 ; character of ; Director-(ien- 
eral of New Netherland ; reception of, 
at Manhattan, 54 ; policy of, defined ; 
energetic administration of public affairs 
by, .55 ; calls a popular convention ; 
friendly relations with neighbors de- 
sired by, 50 ; attempts a settlement of 
disputes with New England, at Hart- 
ford, .58; demolishes Fort Nassau on 



the Delaware ; builds Fort C.tsimer ; im- 
proves the capital of New Netherland ; 
name's the capital New Amsterdam. 59 ; 
has trouble with Van Slechtenhorst and 
the Council of Nine, CO, 61 ; threatens 
to abolish The Council of Nine, 02 ; sum- 
moned before the States-General, 63 ; 
withstands theljepresentative Assembly, 
05 ; interview of, with Beeckman ; 
ordered to retake Fo:t Casiraer, 00 ; con- 
quers New Sweden, 07 : op])osed to re- 
ligious toleration ; persecutes Quakers, 
71 ; alarmed by Captain Scott's state- 
ments ; orders an election of delegates 
to a Provincial Assembly, 74; stubborn 
resistance to the demands of English in- 
vaders, 75-78 ; receives a letter from the 
Engli.sh commander ; urged to surrender ; 
tears up the letter in a passion ; the peo- 
ple demand it, 70 ; its fragments gath- 
ered up, 77 ; yields to the jjressure of 
friends ; surrenders the city and proviuce, 
78 ; death and sepulture of, 83. 

Stuyvesant and the Dutch West India 
Company, 83. 

Suffolk County, Territory of, 98. 

Sullivan, General John, succeeds General 
Thomas in Canada, 240 ; iu battle on 
Long Island and made prisoner, 243 ; 
biography of (note), 302; expedition of, 
in Central New York, 303, 304. 

Sumter, Fort, attacked and evacuated, .521. 

Sumter, Thomas, the "South Carolina 
Game Cock," 309. 

Sun, The, the first one-cent newspaper pub- 
lished, 483. 

Surrender of Burgoyne, Effect of the, 282. 

Sutherland, Jacob, Assistant Justice, 459. 

Swaanendael, Colony of ; extinction of, 33. 

Swartwout, General, in battle at Chrysler's 
Field, 410. 

Swartwout. .lohu. Duel of, with De Witt 
Clinton, 372. 

Swift, Joseph G., at Chrysler's Field, 416. 

T. 

Talcott, S. A., first Attorney-Qeneral, 460. 
Talladega, Battle of, 400. 
Tallashatchee, Battle of, 400. 
Tallmadge, Benjamin, on Long Island, 315. 



INDEX. 



615 



Tallmadge, James, in State Constitutional 
Convention, 1S46. 503. 

Tallmadge, Nathaniel P., United States 
Senator, 479. 

Tammany Society, Aims and character of 
the ; history of the (note), 360. 

Ta-reng-a-wa-gon, Holder of the Heavens, 
3. 

Tariff System, 473. 

Tawasentha Creek, Treaty at, with Indians, 
19. 

Taxation and Representation, 5(3, 193, 194. 

Taylor, President Zachary, Death of, 507. 

Tea Act introduced into Parliament, 202. 

Tea, Importation of, opposed, 204-20G ; ac- 
tion concerninj;, at Xeiv Tork, 205, 20G ; 
destroyed at New York and Boston, 206. 

Tecumtha, Death of, 400. 

Tenbroeck, Abraham, in the Assembly, 
314 ; in battle on Bemis's Heights, 278. 

Ternay, Admiral, at Newport, 309. 

Texas, Annexation of, 501 ; intention con- 
cerning, 503. 

Thames, Battle at the, 406. 

Thomas, General John, in command in 
Canada ; death of, 240. 

Thompson, John, and the National cur- 
rency, 535. 

Throop, Enos T. , Governor; biography of 
(note), 478. 

Ticonderoga, Attack upon, and repulse, 
174 ; capture of, 218 ; evacuated, 266. 

Tieiihoven. Cornells Van, schout ; biog- 
raphy of (note), 62. 

Tiijer, Block's ship, burned. 15. 

Tilden, Samuel J., and the " Tweed Rinjr," 
547 ; Governor, 551, 5.52 ; biography of, 
551 ; institutes investigations concerning 
the canal, 554. 

Tinicum Island, capital of New Sweden, 
52. 

Tompkins, Daniel D., Biography of (note), 
280 ; character of, 445 ; declines the 
office of Secretary of War ; Vice-Presi- 
dent of the United States, 449. 

Tompkins, Goveroor, and Rufus King 
(note), 234. 

Toombs, Robert, and Mayor Wood, 521. 

Topping, Tliomas, councilman, 84. 

Torrey, John, 575. 

Toryism, Prevalence of, in New York, 233. 



TownsUend, General, 181 ; assumes coin- 
luand of the army, IS^J. 

Towson, N., at battle of Chippewa, 422, 
424. 

Trau.sportation facilities of the State, 555. 

Treaty of Alliance, Celebration of the an- 
niversary of the, 364. 

Treaty at Westminster, 1674, 90. 

Trenton, Battle at. 254. 

Trinity Church, Organization of ; vestry, 
men of (note), 119. 

Troops, British, at New York, Conflicts 
with the, 200. 

Trunil>ull, Governor Jonathan, sends troops 
to Lake Chaniplain. 223. 

Trumbull, John, artist, 575. 

Tryon, Governor William, attempts con- 
ciliation, 191 ; notice of, 203 ; reception 
of, at New York, 220 ; on board the Asia ; 
his council (note), 232 ; corresponds with 
leading Tories, 233 ; on board the Durhcmi 
of Gordon. 235 ; leads marauding expe- 
ditions, 264 ; allusion to, in " .McKlngal " 
(note), 298. 

Tryon County, Extent of, 342. 

Tuscaroras the sixth nation of the IriKiuois 
League, 10 ; join the Iroiiuois. 137. 

Tusten, Colonel, at Minisink, 301. 

"Tweed Ring," The, at lacked by the press 
its overthrow, 546, 547. 

Tweenhuysen, L. . 14. 

Twelve, Committee of, 47, 48. 

Twiller, Walter Van, Director of New 
Netherland ; description of, 33, 34 ; 
scolded 'from the pulpit, 34 ; absurd con- 
duct of. 34 ; recalled, 38 ; no memorial 
of; biography of (note), 39. 

! U. 

Ulster County, Territory of, 98. 
Underbill, John, assists the Dutch, .50. 
Union, Conspiracy to destroy the, 515, 516. 
' Union Defence Committee formed ; meni- 
, bers of the (note), 523 : doings of the, 
523, 524. 
" Union Mechanics," Action of the, 260. 
' Union League Club ; raises a regiment, 
535. 
Union of the Colonies propcsed, 161 ; re- 
sult of (note), 102. 



■616 



INDEX. 



Uuitfd Colonies of New England, 93. 

United Provinces, The, 19. 

United States Uank, Removal of Govern- 
ment deposits frnm the, 480, 481. 

United States Sanitary Commission formed. 
527, 528. 

Urv, John, a victim of the Nejjro Plot de- 
lusion, 153, 154. 

Usselincx suggests a Dutcli West India 
Company, 23 ; proposes a Swedish settle- 
ment on the Delaware River, 40. 



Valley Forge, American army at, 287, 
438. 

Van Buren, Martin; biography of (note), 
445 ; Governor of New York ; Secretary 
of the United States, 474 ; appointed 
Minister to England ; rejected by the 
Senate ; President of the United States, 
480 : the Free S lil Party aijd, 507. 

Van Cortlandt, Mayor, Joy of, manifested, 
103. 

Van Cortlandt Manor, 504. 

Cortlandt, OrlolT Stevens van ; l)iography of 
(note), 504. 

Van Cortlandt, Pierre, first Lieutenant- 
Governor of tlie State. 262 ; re-elected 
Lieutenant-Governor, 353. 

Van Dam, Rip, Acting-Governor of the jirov- 
ince, 142 ; conflict of, with Governor 
Cosby, 143 ; suspended from thc^ Council 
Board, 151. 

Van Dyck kills an Indian woman, and is 
slain, 07, 68. 

Van Krieckenbeeck, Daniel, at Fort Or- 
ange, 29 ; make.'! war on tlie Mohawk^s 
and is killed, 30. 

Van Xess, William P., Burr's second in his 
duel with Hamilton ; attacks the Living- 
ston family, 373. 

Van Rensselaer Manor, 32, 33, 502. 

Van Rensselaer, Rol)ert, leads militia in 
the Mohawk Valley, 307, 308. 

Van Rensselaer, Stephen, Lieutenant-! iov- 
ernor, 303; in command of the militia, 
389 ; on the Niagara frontier, 393 ; biog- 
raphy of (note), 395 ; at the canal cele- 
bration, 463. 

Van Rensselaer, Stephen, Jr., 500. 



Van Iluyven, Stuyvesant's secretary (note), 
78. 

Van Schaick, Colonel, jmrsues Sir John 
Johnson, 305. 

Varick, Richard, at a meeting of Federal- 
ists ; biography of (note). 358. 

Vaudreuil, (iovernor of Canada, and the 
Indians, 170 ; at Montreal ; surrenders 
the city and the province, 184. 

Vaughan, General, commands troops at the 
capture of the Highlands' forts, 283 ; at 
the burning of Kingston, 286. 

Verazzano, John, Claim of, to the discov- 
ery of New York Bay (note), 11. 

Vermilye. Johannes, arrested, 110. 

Vermont, 191 ; leaders in, cocjuetting with 
the British authorities in Canada, 308, 
317, 318; an independent State, 310; 
authorities of New York alarmed con- 
cerning, 317 ; becomes a State of the 
Union, 319. 

Ver Planck, Gelyn, schepen, 89. 

Verplanck. (iulian ('., 513, 574. 

Verplanck'.s Point, Headquarters at, 327. 

Vestrymen of Trinity Church (note), 119. 

Vigilance Committee of New York City, 
203 ; of the State of New York, 260 ; 
operations of the, 201. 

"\'incent. General, commands British forces, 
410. 

" Virginia dynasty," The, 449. 

Vidttire, The, and Andre and .Arnold, 311. 

W. 

Walker, Admiral Sir Ilovenden. commands 

an expedition against Quebec ami fails, 

130. 
Wallace, Hugh, receives Governor Tryon, 

221. 
Walloons, History of the (note) ; settle in 

New Netherland, 25. 
Walters, Robert, Associate-Justice, 129. 
Wampum, Uses of (note), 19. 
War, Preparations for, by the Americans, 

207. 
War-meeting, A great, in Nexv York City, 

522. 
Warner, Seth, before Congress, 222. 
Warrington, Captain, Cruises of, 438, 439. 
Washington, George, Mission of, IGl, 162 ; 



INDEX. 



617 



Major, builds Fort Necessity ; figlits 
French troops, and surrenders, 163, 163; 
Colonel, in comiuand of Virginia forces, 
169 ; General, reception of, at New York, 
230 ; a plot to destroy, 235, 236 ; response 
to appeal of, 243 ; retreat of, across New 
Jersey, 250 ; crosses and recrosses the 
Delaware River; captures the British 
forces at Trenton, 254 ; gains a victory 
at Princelon ; in winter quarters at Mor- 
ristown, 355 ; Howe and, confront each 
other in New Jersey, 386 ; discovers 
Arnold's treason, 314 ; headquarters of, 
at Newburgh, 326, 337 ; final parting 
with liis officers, 331 ; resigns his com- 
mission ; retires to Mount Vernon, 333 ; 
presides over the Constitutional Conven- 
tion, 330; letter of, to General Schuvler, 
343 ; elected first President of the United 
States, 344 ; inaugurated, 345 ; interest 
of, in the canal system, 347 ; death of, ;!(i6. 

Washington (the National Capital), menaced 
in 1814 ; attacked, and public and pri- 
vate property at, destroyed, 430. 

Waterbury, General, captured on Lake 
Champlain, 253. 

Watson, Elkanah, promotes canal projects, 
347, 348 ; biography of (note) ; explora- 
tions and labors of, 348, 349. 

Wayne, General Anthony, attacked near 
the Paoli Tavern, 286 ; takes Stony Point ; 
biograpliy of (note). 299. 

Webb, General, Conduct of, at Fort Ed- 
ward, 171. 

Webb, James Watson, revolutionizes jour- 
nalism ; bioirraphy of (note), 483 ; de- 
fends his ca.stle, 484. 

Weed, Tliurlow, journalist ; biography of 
(note), 475. 

Wellington's veterans sent to Canada, 420, 
441. 

Wells, William, councilman, S4. 

Wells, Mr., killed at Cherry Valley, 201. 

Wentworth, Benning, Governor, grants 
lands, 189, 190. 

Westchester County, Territory of, 97 ; a 
British force invades, 248. 

Weston, William, and the New York 
canals, 349. 

West India Company, Prompt action of 
the, to save New Netherlaud, 51. 



West Point Militarv Academv founded, 
375. 

Whig Party, history of its name, 477, 478. 

Whiskey Insurrection, 35s. 

White. lluc;h, in Central New York, 342. 

White Plains, Battle at, 248. 

Whitemaish, American army at, 287. 

Wilkinson, General James, in command of 
the Army of the North : biography of 
(note), 414 ; on the St. Lawrence, 415- 
417 ; leaves the army, 421. 

Willett, Marinus, Sortie of, at Fori Schuy- 
ler, 371 ; mission of, to General Schuyler ; 
biography of, 273 ; in expedition against 
the Indians, 301. 

Willett, Thomas, commissioner at Hart- 
ford in 10.50. .58 ; first Mayor of New 
York, 85. 

William of Orange invades England ; be- 
comes joint monarch with hi.s wile, Mary, 
104 : death of, 129. 

WiUiiim, the first English trading vessel 
on the Hudson River ; driven off by the 
Dutch, 34, 35. 

Williams, Colonel Ephraim, killed near 
Lake George, 100. 

Williams, Major, a British officer made 
])risoner (m Bemia's Heights, 278. 

Williams, Thomas, arrested, 110. 

Wiltwyck founded, 72; desolated by Ind- 
ians, 73. 

Winchester, General James, at French- 
town, 403. 

Winder, (ieneral W. II., at Stony Creek 
Battle, 410; commands troops in the Dis- 
trict of CoUunbia ; biograpliy of (note), 
438 ; commands at the Battle of Bladens- 
burg, 430. 

Winslow, General, leads provincial troops 
toward Canada, 115. 

Wolfe, General James, Amherst's lieu- 
tenant, 173 ; commands expedition 
against Quebec, 180 ; on the St. Law. 
rence River (note) ; incidents of the 
death of, 183. 

Women, Patriotism of the, 534. 

Wood, Fernando, Mayor of New York, 
recommends the secession of New York 

. City, 519, 5-20. 

Woodhull, Colonel Nathaniel, in the As- 
semblv, 214. 



618 



INDEX. 



Woodwortli, John, Associate-Justice. 459. 

Woodwortli, Samuel, Poem of, 434 ; notice 
of, 574. 

Wool, General John E., Energetic action 
of, 525, 520. 

Woolsey, Mclanctlion, on Lake Chain- 
plain, :!90. 

Woo-ster, General David, encamped at 
Iliirlctn. 220 ; succeeds Arnold in com- 
mand at tjuebec ; biojrrupliv of (note), 
230. 

Wright, Silas, Comptroller of the State ; 
biography of (note), 475 ; Governor, and 
the school fund, SCO. 

Writs of Assistiince, OppositiAi to, 194. 

Wyoming Valley, Invasion of, 203, 294. 

Y. 

Yates, J. Van Ness, Secretary of State, 459. 
Yates, Joseph C, Governor of New York ; 
biography of (note), 459. 



Yates, Judge Robert, Patriotism of, 343. 

Yellow fever in New York, 352. 

Yeo, Sir James Lucas, on Lake Ontario ; 
biography of (note), 411. 

York, Duke of, receives a gift of nil New 
Netlierland from his brother. King 
Charles; Lord High Admiral; sends a 
force to seize the domain, 74. 

York (Toronto), Expedition against, 409, 
410. 

Young, John. Governor of New York. 505 ; 
an advocate of popular education, 506. 

Young, Samuel, Secretary of State ; re- 
fuses to comply with an act of the Legis- 
lature, 498. 



Z. 

Zenger, John Peter, issues the i\>ir I'orA- 
Wetk/i/ Journal, a tribune of the people ; 
attacks official autkorities ; trial of, for 
libel, 144, 147 ; acquitted, 147. 



^v-vjs 



LOb^O 



